BHUBANESWAR: HIT by the menace of poaching and wildfire in recent years, the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) is now looking at artificial intelligence (AI) to protect its majestic creatures.
It has started using AI integrated cameras, as an advanced surveillance tool, to check trespassing of wildlife criminals and effectively deal with forest fires. Coupled with foot patrolling carried out by forest guards on a daily basis, these cameras have now become a stealth weapon for Similipal authorities to ensure that every corner of the tiger reserve remains under surveillance.
Trial run of the cameras started in March last year. Since then, STR authorities have been able to detect trespassing on multiple occasions and tracked down a dozen of poachers and individuals involved in hunting and other forest offences. Currently, 50 such cameras are in place.
STR field director and Baripada RCCF Prakash Chand Gogineni said in the trial phase, these AI-integrated cameras have detected trespassing at least four times, resulting in tracking and arrest of around 14 persons. A huge cache of wildlife items and incriminating materials were also seized from them.
Capable of capturing high-resolution photos of trespassers even during night, the infrared cameras have been installed at strategic locations in both south and north divisions of the STR. Gogineni said the AI algorithms in these cameras have been fine-tuned to cater to the needs of Similipal.
They are capable of identifying human and animal movement within their range and click their pictures stealthily. After the image is clicked, the cameras send the data to the AI-integrated camera towers installed at five locations across Similipal.
These towers then send alerts on the moving objects to the advanced control room set up at Baripada. The entire process takes only a few seconds. Individuals in the photographs are identified by three forest staff and an officer tracking the GPS at the control room.
“The images captured by these cameras are proving helpful in easy identification of trespassers which in turn is helping forest staff in carrying out raids at their hideouts,” the officer said.
Unlike the camera traps used for enumeration, the AI cameras can be programmed to capture a specific moving object. Besides, they prove handy to use because of their small size and excellent battery backup that can last for months. Going by the results, the STR authorities plan to install 250 more AI cameras at different locations of the tiger reserve.
The AI camera towers will also be used to check incidents of wildfire that have emerged as a major challenge in the tiger land, from the next forest fire season commencing from January 2025.
Forest officials said the AI camera towers set up in Similipal have a visual range of around 20 km. The control room set up at Baripada with state-of-the-art technology is capable of processing high-end graphic outputs of the towers. All these measures will give the forest officials and field staff an upper hand in quicker and more precise detection of potential forest fires in the tiger reserve.