NILGIRIS: Technology is helping to mitigate human-elephant conflict in the Gudalur forest division.
Since its opening on December 20, the AI-powered command and control centre at Genepool Garden in the Nadugani forest range has received 109 alerts on movements of wild elephants. With the timely alerts these animals were driven back inside the forest by the staff.
The centre was constructed at a cost of Rs 6 crore under the modernisation of the Tamil Nadu Forest Force scheme. The facility relies on 34 AI-enabled cameras and 12 highly advanced AI-based monitoring systems at 46 locations in the human-wildlife conflict locations of the division
Though officially launched on December 20, the centre had started working with AI-powered cameras sending alerts since November. It received 28 alerts in November and 53 in December. In the New Year the centre has received 28 alerts till January 18.
The centre has been of great benefit to the local people as they are getting prior alerts about the elephant movement and thus helping them stay back inside the house or workplace instead of approaching the places where the elephants are.
Ramesh, a resident of Kozhipalam in Gudalur, said, "I got a message about the elephant movement on my cell phone at 9 pm when I planned to visit town to buy groceries. I would have been in big trouble if I didn't get the alert from the control centre. The alert has helped me to stay back in the house and save my life.
"Earlier, we were hesitant to walk along the tea estates due to the fear of animal movement as we were unaware where the animals were present. However, after the introduction of the AI-powered command control centre and its alerts on our cell phones, we can move without any fear wherever there is no elephant movement," said Ramesh, an agricultural worker.
A forest official said "information about the elephant movements are relayed through 24 speakers kept near residential areas that are more prone to human-elephant conflict".
"With the opening of the AI-powered command and control centre, we are saving people and elephants. We have appointed six staff to the centre on a shift basis round the clock. Also, 120 temporary staff, including Anti Poaching Watchers (APW), have been appointed on a temporary basis across the Gudalur division exclusively for sending back wild elephants into the forest," he added.