Across Tamil Nadu, regions such as the Hosur belt, Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts that are located within elephant corridors frequently witness animal encounters. Similar challenges are seen in parts of Coimbatore and the Nilgiris, especially in Gudalur. In response, the Tamil Nadu Forest department is increasingly turning to technology and data-driven approaches.
Technology to the Rescue
Elephants present one of the biggest challenges for forest officials. Moving in herds that can number up to sixty, they often migrate seasonally from Karnataka into Tamil Nadu through the Hosur region. Today, thermal drones are playing a critical role in managing these situations. These drones can track elephant movements up to three kilometres in advance and send real-time alerts to officials. This enables timely warnings to nearby villages and the swift deployment of response teams. In many cases, such monitoring also helps prevent accidental electrocution along elephant routes.
AI in Action
In 2023, the department introduced an artificial intelligence system along a 7.5-kilometre railway stretch in Madukkarai near Coimbatore. The track cuts across elephant corridors between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. As part of this initiative, 12 towers equipped with 360-degree rotating thermal cameras were installed to monitor the area round the clock. The system has already enabled more than 8000 safe elephant crossings.
When elephant movement is detected, alerts are automatically sent to loco pilots, railway authorities and forest personnel. This allows trains to slow down or halt, while officials guide the animals safely away from the tracks. However, some sections remain outside the cameras’ field of view. To bridge these gaps, the department partnered with the Drone Corporation of Tamil Nadu to deploy different types of AI-enabled drones. Surveillance drones act as mobile watchers, flying across large areas with a range of up to five kilometres and detecting elephants from as far as three kilometres away. Tethered drones, on the other hand, serve as stationary watchers, providing four to five hours of continuous, ground-powered monitoring to ensure no movement goes unnoticed. Currently, six drones (three of each type) are deployed.
Furthering Conservation and Restoration
Drones are also proving valuable in ecological restoration. In forest areas such as Mudumalai National Park and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, they are being used to map and remove invasive plant species. Both standard and thermal drones help identify plant spread, map coordinates and capture high-resolution images. Over 34,000 hectares have already been cleared, with visible recovery in forest ecosystems and the return of grazing wildlife like deer and elephants.
In coastal regions, drones are being deployed to map blue carbon storage in mangrove ecosystems. In collaboration with the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, high-quality drone data is supporting valuation efforts and shaping conservation policy. Additionally, drones assist in monitoring remote forest areas, helping officials detect illegal activities such as poaching and logging.