COIMBATORE: The Madukkarai forest range officials have been given motorised vehicle to patrol along the railway tracks and chase away wild elephants that may be standing near the tracks. Though the staff engage in foot patrol, using a camper vehicle is now an added advantage.
A senior official said, “Since vegetation alongside the tracks has been cleared in the three-kilometre stretch of railway line B to ensure better visibility for loco pilots, our staff are also reaching the place and diverting the animals that stand near the tracks.
The information related to the animal movement is being shared with the field staff by the control room that monitors the area using AI-based cameras round the clock and they inform the staff that are monitoring the animal through a watch tower.”
Officials are also mulling to deploy tethered drones to track and chase elephants. An official said, “One drone will cover up to two and a half kilometres and then it will share the location with another drone after noticing the elephants. Subsequently, the other drone will reach the animal and deliver sounds (like honey bees) that will irritate and chase the animal away.”
“We are trying to integrate both drone and AI cameras and a proposal has been sent to the state government by the Tamil Nadu Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Corporation and we hope the government will sanction that amount soon. We are also planning to profile the elephants that are using the Madukkarai landscape,” the official added.