World Elephant Day: AI-based warning system helped 2,800 safe crossings of elephants through railway tracks near Coimbatore
According to the Forest Department, the system generated over 6,000 alerts of wild elephants near railway tracks or crossing them. In fact, the total number of alerts generated is over 10,000, which include detection of the movements of other animals such as gaur, deer, leopard, dhole and even King cobra.
The system operates with the support of camera-mounted towers installed on the sides of railway tracks - 'A' and 'B' lines passing through reserve forests areas of the Madukkarai range and connecting Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
District Forest Officer N. Jayaraj said that no incident of wild elephants getting collided with trains had been reported in the section after the introduction of the early warning system.
A dedicated team of 20 staff for track patrols swiftly respond when the AI-based system detects elephant movement near tracks and generates alerts. Four staff manage the control and command centre.
'A total of 15 staff will be on track patrols at night,' he said.
The alerts are also sent to the station masters of the nearest railway stations and loco pilots of trains passing through the reserve forest are kept informed of the presence of elephants near the tracks, so that they can control the speed of the trains.
Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, who is attending the World Elephant Day celebrations in Coimbatore on Tuesday, is scheduled to visit the AI-based system at Madukkarai on Tuesday and interact with Tamil Nadu Forest Department officials.
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