Several internet users lauded the technological intervention taken by the state to protect the forest.
Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer and wildlife enthusiast, Susanta Nanda took to X to share pictures of intruders taken by an AI-enabled camera at Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha. Notably, the Odisha government recently installed AI-integrated cameras in protected areas of the state. These cameras are intended to monitor forest fires, and wild animal movement, and to track down the activity of poachers.
Through his post, Mr Nanda informed that the intruders were apprehended soon after their pictures appeared on the camera at 11.30 am. ''AI-enabled camera sends the real-time picture at 11.30 am. The intruders are apprehended in the next few minutes. Securing Simlipal Tiger Reserve,'' he wrote, sharing pictures of the two men.
See the image here:
Several internet users lauded the technological intervention taken by the state to protect the forest. One user wrote, ''Awesome work... AI-enabled camera, wish to know more if that info can be shared?'' Another person commented, ''Thank you so much for the prompt Action Sir.''
A third user stated, ''AI cameras? Never heard. Wow. Happy to see India is so fast in adopting the AI tech in various fields.''
''Good move with Ai! All other reserves should also install the same!'', wrote a fourth.
According to reports, AI is closely monitoring the forest fires in Similipal. AI camera helps detect the fire points as soon as the inferno occurs anywhere and it alerts the forest personnel concerned to swing into action. Unusual human activities inside forests can also be tracked.
Notably, Simlipal National Park is a national park and tiger reserve in the Mayurbhanj district in Odisha covering 2,750 square km. It was formally designated a tiger reserve in 1956 and brought under Project Tiger in the year 1973. It was declared a biosphere reserve by the Government of India in June 1994.
Simlipal boasts of tropical semi-evergreen forests, tropical moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous hill forests, high-level sal forests and sprawling meadows. Its rich biodiversity includes tigers, leopards, elephants, gaur, diverse bird species, King cobras, orchids, and medicinal plants.
UNESCO listed it as a Biosphere Reserve in May 2009 due to its ecological significance.