Sensor-based technology on sound detection mulled to curb jumbo death

Kolkata: The state Forest department will explore the possibility of a sensor-based technology to track the various sounds made by elephants to track their exact location.

The move is a significant stride by the department to mitigate jumbo deaths in railway tracks in North Bengal.

"This is the for the first time in the country that such sensor-based technology will be used. The high-frequency sounds made by an elephant is audible but it makes certain low frequency sounds during the animal's movement, which is inaudible. The technology will use artificial intelligence to recognise such sound within a fixed radius," a senior official of the state Forest department said.

Michel Andre of Spain has a patent for this technology, which is being used in several foreign countries to capture sounds made by harmful sea animals particularly whales to evade their collisions with ships.

It may be mentioned that the state Forest department has been trying to identify a cost effective technology to prevent deaths of pachyderms in railway tracks of North Bengal. A two day workshop was held in Chalsa in November last year that was attended by scientists and experts on forest and wildlife across the country. Since then the department has been experimenting with technologies. Over sixty jumbos have been killed in railway tracks in North Bengal since 2004.

"We will hold the trial in Gorumara or Mahananda National Park area in some strategic locations where elephant encroaching on rail tracks and conflicts between man and the jumbo have been the maximum. This will enable us to have the best idea on the feasibility of the ultra sound frequency detection technology," said Ravi Kant Sinha, state Chief Wildlife Warden.

According to a senior forest official in the North Bengal division railway tracks between Siliguri and Alipurduar, stretch close to 165 km passing through several forest areas, including the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Jaldapara National Park and Buxa Tiger Reserve in Bengal.

Officials from the Wildlife Institute of India will be making the technology analysis while the state Forest department will be providing field support in the exercise which is expected to begin in September.

"If we find that this technology is able to effectively capture sounds to track the movement of the pachyderms integrating it to our system so that drivers get alerts through sms about the exact position of the animal will not be too difficult. We believe that this is the best technology till date that we can adopt. So we are keeping our fingers crossed," the official said.