Artificial Intelligence To Be Used To Reduce Elephant Deaths On Railway Tracks

Train hits are the second biggest cause of unnatural elephant deaths in India after electrocution. Every year dozens of elephants get killed on the railway track by speeding trains.

Tamil Nadu, which has one of the highest elephant population in India and has seen several jumbo deaths on railway tracks over the years is now seeking the help of AI to prevent them.

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According to IANS, Tamil Nadu forest department will set up an artificial intelligence system to prevent elephant deaths due to train hits.

How AI will help reduce elephant deaths

The Artificial Intelligence system will be installed on two railway lines pass through the Madukkarai forest range between Madhukkarai and Walayar, where 11 elephants have been killed by train hits since 2008.

The new alert system divides frequent elephant crossing points into three zones. The 50 m area from the centre to the track will be red zone, the next 50 m will be orange zone and further 50 m will be the yellow zone.

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An acoustic (hooter) alert and a luminous alert would be installed at all sensor towers and in the console room.

If an elephant enters the yellow zone, an alert will be generated in the console room and the message will be passed to the forest watchers. Message and alerts will be sent to forest guards, watchers, forest range officers and railway station master if the elephant crosses the orange zone.

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If by any chance the elephant is entering the red zone, alerts will be sent to the district forest officials, divisional engineers of railways, who will intimate the loco pilot. Details of the elephant and its distance from the track will be intimated to the loco pilot much in advance.

Elephant deaths on railway tracks

In March Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, had told the Parliament that between 2018 and 2021, a total of 35 elephants were killed across the country on railway tracks.

In December 2021, the ministry had said that 186 elephants were killed after being hit by trains across India between 2009-21.

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Recommendations to reduce elephant deaths on tracks

Earlier this year, the Environment Ministry had constituted a ¡°permanent¡± coordination committee that includes the Ministry of Railways and the Environment Ministry to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks.

It had recommended several measures included making permanent and temporary speed restrictions in identified elephant corridors and habitats, making underpasses and ramps for movement of elephants at identified locations, providing fencing at selected locations, erecting signages to warn train drivers about identified elephant corridors, sensitising train crew and station masters to avoid train collisions with elephants, clearing vegetation on the sides of track within railway land, deputing Forest Department staff in railway control offices to liaison with railway authorities, engaging elephant trackers by the forest departments for timely action by alerting station masters and engine drivers as well as coordinating meetings between state forest departments and railway departments.

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