A train moving through a forest leaves little room for error.
For elephants crossing railway tracks, even a few seconds can mean the difference between life and death. In Tamil Nadu’s Madukkarai landscape, this danger had become a serious conservation challenge. Elephants frequently moved across railway tracks connecting Tamil Nadu and Kerala, while forest and railway staff struggled to predict exactly when and where the animals would cross.
The situation began to change with the introduction of an Artificial Intelligence-based surveillance system under the leadership of Thiru. N. Jayaraj, an Indian Forest Service officer of the 2013 batch, who was associated with the initiative during his tenure in the region. He is currently serving as Wildlife Warden, Hosur Forest Division.
The technology has brought a new layer of precision to elephant protection. It has helped forest and railway officials detect animal movement in real time and respond before elephants reach the tracks.
A DEADLY RAILWAY CORRIDOR
The scale of human-elephant interaction in the region is significant. In the Coimbatore Forest Division, elephants were recorded straying out nearly 9,000 times over a three-year period. One of the most difficult conflict points was the railway track passing through the Solakarai Beat and Bolampatti Block-I Reserved Forests in Madukkarai Range.
Since 2008, 11 elephants had died in train collisions in this stretch. Some of the victims were young calves and juveniles. Forest staff and watchers had been patrolling the tracks day and night. The Railways and Forest Department had also worked together on underpasses and other measures. Yet the accidents could not be reduced significantly.
The problem was not a lack of effort. It was a lack of timely information.
THE INFORMATION GAP
Forest teams knew that elephants were moving through the landscape. But knowing that elephants were present was not enough. Officials needed to know when the animals were approaching, where exactly they were and how frequently they were crossing the railway tracks.
“The biggest challenge was the information that was unavailable to us. Although we patrol 24×7 on the track and the animal movement is known, the frequency, exact time of movement and location are always uncertain,” said Thiru. N. Jayaraj.
This information gap became the key problem the new system was designed to solve. The Government sanctioned ₹7.24 crore for installing the Artificial Intelligence-based system. Work began on 23 March 2023 along a vulnerable seven-kilometre stretch covering both Line A and Line B of the railway track. The project was completed within seven months, in September 2023, and inaugurated on 9 February 2024.
12 TOWERS WATCHING THE TRACKS
The system consists of 12 high towers equipped with both thermal and conventional optical cameras. The towers are positioned approximately 500 metres apart at strategic locations covering important elephant crossing points. Each camera provides coverage of around 150 metres on either side of the railway track.
This allows the system to detect elephant movement before the animals reach the tracks. The data captured by the cameras is automatically transmitted to a control room, where it is processed in real time. The control room is manned 24×7, with Forest Department frontline personnel and technical staff monitoring the camera feeds in shifts. When an elephant enters the alert zone, the system automatically generates an alert.
ALERTS BEFORE ELEPHANTS REACH THE TRACK
The technology does not stop at detection. When an elephant approaches within 150 metres on either side of the track, alerts are generated. The system provides the animal’s location and the nearby railway stone location through SMS to Forest Department personnel, including special staff on the track, the DFO and the Conservator.
As the animal moves closer to the railway track, information is also communicated to railway officials and loco pilots. Hooters installed on the camera towers sound simultaneously. Digital display boards along the railway track also warn loco pilots about elephant presence. Forest officials additionally make direct phone calls to field watchers and railway personnel to ensure that the information reaches everyone concerned.
“The crucial step required was to direct our officials towards the animal well in advance for avoiding train hits. The automated AI camera system does exactly that and passes information to both the Forest Department and Railways in advance,” Jayaraj explained.
FROM TECHNOLOGY TO COEXISTENCE
The biggest achievement of the system is visible in the numbers. Since the system became operational, 1,698 elephant crossing incidents have been safely recorded, involving 3,435 elephants. Most importantly, zero elephant deaths have been reported on the railway track during this period. But the value of the project goes beyond preventing train accidents.
The cameras are creating a growing database on elephant movement and behaviour. The information can help officials understand movement patterns, identify individual elephants and study their behaviour and morphology. Such data can eventually support better decisions on habitat management, conflict mitigation and landscape planning.
A MODEL FOR SMARTER WILDLIFE PROTECTION
The Madukkarai project shows how technology can complement, rather than replace, field-level conservation. Forest staff continue to patrol the railway tracks. Railway officials remain part of the response system. The difference is that they now have access to information much earlier.
The initiative also demonstrates that artificial intelligence can have a practical role in wildlife conservation. It is not simply about sophisticated cameras or automated alerts. It is about converting data into timely action. For Jayaraj, the objective remains simple: give people on the ground enough information to prevent a tragedy before it happens.
In a landscape where elephants and people increasingly share the same spaces, such systems could become increasingly important. The success at Madukkarai offers a powerful lesson: when technology, field experience and inter-departmental coordination work together, even a dangerous railway corridor can become safer for wildlife.
Also Read – From Forests to Wetlands: The Conservation Leadership Transforming Odisha’s Wild Landscapes
