Tamil Nadu Forest Department to Deploy Thermal Drones for Monitoring Wild Elephants
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Chennai, Dec 21 (NationPress) The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is set to deploy thermal drones for nighttime surveillance aimed at tracking wild elephants and preventing them from invading human territories.
Officials anticipate that this innovative system will allow forest personnel to observe elephant movements from a secure distance, providing timely alerts to nearby residents.
As reported, elephants frequently leave their forest habitats at night, intruding into human settlements across various forest areas, which leads to conflicts. With the implementation of this new system, drones will identify elephant movements while announcements will be broadcasted from vehicles equipped with Bluetooth-connected speakers from the Forest Department.
These vehicles will also generate loud sounds to encourage the animals to return to their natural habitat.
A senior official indicated that several companies have already showcased their drone operations, and the department is in the process of selecting a vendor.
This system is currently being piloted in the Hosur Forest Division, where initial results have been encouraging.
The department also plans to acquire AI-enabled cameras to further monitor elephant movements, thereby minimizing human-animal conflicts.
Recent data presented in the Lok Sabha underscores the necessity for such initiatives. In the past five years, 256 people have lost their lives due to human-elephant conflicts in Tamil Nadu, with 61 fatalities occurring in just 2023-24.
For example, on December 17, a 62-year-old man named Chandran succumbed to injuries from an elephant attack at Gajam Mudi Estate in Valpara.
The attack, which took place on November 10, resulted in injuries to four individuals, including Chandran.
In the meantime, the wild elephant population in Tamil Nadu has reached 3,063, according to the most recent synchronized census conducted from May 23 to 25, 2024, in collaboration with neighboring states such as Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. This represents an increase of over 100 elephants compared to the previous census in 2023.
Officials have noted that the forests of Tamil Nadu can support an elephant population of around 3,000 to 3,500. Currently, the population remains stable and healthy.
The Nilgiri Elephant Reserve and Coimbatore Elephant Reserve have the highest concentration of elephants among the five reserves in the state. The Forest Department is optimistic that the integration of thermal drones, AI-enabled cameras, and additional measures will help mitigate negative interactions between humans and elephants, ensuring safety for both.
