A small herd of elephants, including two adults and a calf, was saved from a potential train collision in Odisha's Rourkela district, thanks to an AI-powered camera system deployed by the forest department. The elephants were headed towards the railway tracks, where they could have been struck by an oncoming train. However, the timely use of AI technology helped avert the disaster.
Susanta Nanda, a retired Indian Forest Service officer, shared a video of the incident on X (formerly Twitter). The footage shows the AI camera zooming in on the elephants as they approached the tracks. The system immediately sent an alert to the control room, which then notified the train driver to stop the train in time.
Nanda praised the effectiveness of the system, writing, “AI camera captures & zooms into the elephants approaching the railway line, sending alerts to the control room for stopping the train. We had solutions. Happy to see that the ones implemented are now giving results.”
The AI cameras were part of a broader mitigation effort aimed at preventing wildlife-related accidents on railway tracks. Four such cameras were strategically installed along the route to monitor animal movement. This coordinated effort between the forest and railway departments ensured the safety of both wildlife and passengers.
