Gudalur: As part of efforts to mitigate human wildlife conflict, a state of the art surveillance system featuring AI enabled cameras and a dedicated monitoring centre has been established at the Nadukani Gene Pool Garden at a cost of ₹6 crore.

 The modern facility has been set up by the Forest Department in response to the frequent straying of wild animals into human habitations.The surveillance mechanism covers six forest zones in the Gudalur Forest Division, with a network of 44 AI cameras relaying real time images to the control centre. From there, critical information is passed on to forest officials on duty in the respective locations.

Forest Department officials said the system would enable effective monitoring of areas frequently raided by wild elephants. By providing advance information, the intensity of human wildlife conflict can be significantly reduced. The camera network is powered using solar energy.

In addition to monitoring wildlife movement, the camera network will also be used to detect human trespassing into forest areas and to prevent illegal hunting.