AI Preventing Elephant Deaths On Indian Rail Tracks

COIMBATORE-Tamil Nadu’s AI-powered wildlife monitoring system has helped prevent elephant deaths on a vulnerable railway stretch near Coimbatore, with thousands of real-time alerts enabling train pilots to slow down or stop trains for the safe movement of wild elephants over the past two-and-a-half years.

The artificial intelligence-based camera network, installed along the railway tracks at Puthupathi village in the Madukkarai Forest Range, has generated more than 7,100 alerts on elephant movement since it became operational.

The alerts prompted loco pilots to either reduce speed or halt trains on more than 3,280 occasions, significantly reducing the risk of collisions between trains and elephants. Officials said the system has ensured zero elephant fatalities on the monitored railway stretch while facilitating nearly 9,500 safe elephant crossings.

The project combines artificial intelligence, thermal imaging cameras and round-the-clock human monitoring to detect elephant movement near railway tracks in real time.

Once an elephant is detected, alerts are immediately relayed to forest personnel and railway authorities through a dedicated control and command center that operates round the clock. Forest officials, frontline staff, drone operators and railway personnel coordinate to monitor elephant movements, prevent elephants from entering the tracks and guide them safely across the railway corridor. The monitoring system is integrated with railway communication channels, allowing station masters to alert loco pilots through wireless communication to slow down or stop trains until the elephants have crossed safely.

Forest and railway officials also share live updates on elephant locations through a dedicated messaging platform to ensure coordinated action.

Apart from elephants, the AI-enabled surveillance network has detected several other wild animals, including gaur, deer and leopards, expanding wildlife monitoring in the region.

The surveillance network has also been strengthened with AI-powered drones that provide aerial monitoring beyond the fixed thermal cameras, enabling authorities to track elephant movement across forests and adjoining railway corridors more effectively. (IANS)