The state forest department has introduced an AI-enabled device near railway tracks that run through the Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary in Jalpaiguri to alert railway and forest officials with live video feed when a wild animal comes too close to the tracks.

The system, which is known as Elesense Live Device, was formally inaugurated on Wednesday in the presence of Bhaskar J.V., the chief conservator of forests (wildlife, north) and other officials of the department.

Representatives of railways and organisations instrumental in the installation of the new device were also present at the event.

“It is a new device through which we can get live video feeds in case an elephant or any other wild animal walks near the railway track. This sophisticated device will help us curb the deaths of elephants on railway tracks. Several elephants have died after being mowed down by trains,” said Bhaskar.

“We have taken this new initiative in coordination with the railways,” said the forest official.

The Dooars rail tracks that connect Siliguri and Alipurduar junctions are known to be vulnerable to wild animals, especially elephants. The tracks pass through elephant corridors and reserve forests.

During the past two-and-a-half decades, around 90 wild elephants have died on these tracks.

The deaths prompted the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) authorities to introduce the Intrusion Detection System (IDS), which sends signals to railway authorities once its sensors identify the movement of elephants or other animals near the tracks. Railway authorities could inform loco pilots of trains moving on the route to restrict speed so that trains did not hit any animal.

On Elesense, Kaustav Chowdhury, who is associated with an NGO that works for wildlife conservation explained the new AI-driven device not only alerted officials, but sent live video feed. "Once an elephant or other animal is spotted near the tracks, a message with a live video feed will be sent to the railways and the forest department. The device will also help us to identify loner elephants, which stray near railway tracks. The cameras fitted in the device will also click photos of wild animals,” he said.

After Chapramari, the device will also be installed in certain areas of the Buxa Tiger Reserve of Alipurduar and the Kurseong forest division of Darjeeling district.

Bidyut Ekka, an official of the railway’s signalling department posted in Malbazar, said so far the railways and the forest department received messages through the IDS. "We are excited that this AI-enabled system will provide us with live video feed to let us see for ourselves the situation,” said Ekka.