As tunnel boring machines (TBMs) churn through the hills beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), researchers are preparing to track what happens above ground. For the first time, leopards, spotted deer, and sambar deer in the park will be fitted with radio collars to study their movement patterns and assess whether tunnelling activity affects how they use the landscape.

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), in collaboration with the Maharashtra Forest Department, plans to radio-collar 15 animals — five leopards, five spotted deer, and five sambar deer. Researchers will monitor their movements before and after tunnelling to evaluate the project’s impact on wildlife.