Tamil Nadu's AI-Based Early Warning System to Protect Wild Elephants

• 19 Oct 2023

The Forest Department in Tamil Nadu is making significant progress in setting up an artificial intelligence (AI)-based early warning system to protect wild elephants from train collisions along the Ettimadai–Walayar railway section, connecting Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Key Points

• Installation of E-Surveillance Towers Completed: They have completed the installation of all 12 e-surveillance towers, with thermal imaging cameras fixed on the 'A' line and ongoing work on the 'B' line.
• Cameras in Vulnerable Areas: The thermal imaging cameras are strategically placed along 7.05 km of the Ettimadai–Walayar section, which passes through the Solakkarai reserve forest of Madukkarai range.
• AI Programming for Elephant Detection: Once fully operational, the system will alert forest department staff and railway authorities, allowing train operators to reduce speed in response.
• Positive Results from Railway Underpass: Elephants have already started using the railway underpass on the 'B' line, as evidenced by cameras capturing two elephants passing through on October 12. Another underpass is planned for a different location on the 'B' line.
• Previous Elephant Collisions: The region has witnessed 11 elephant deaths in train collisions on the Coimbatore-Palakkad railway lines from 2008 to 2022, making this AI-based system crucial for the protection of these animals.