AI cameras gun for poachers

 

jACOB KOSHY, 

NEW DELHI, september 17, 2023

Wildlife officials at one of the most populous tiger zones in India are experimenting with a new set of camera traps — or cameras with infrared sensors deployed in forests to count wild animals or monitor the movement of potential poachers — that harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

In experiments under way at the Kanha-Pench corridor in Madhya Pradesh, the system has, for the first time, caught poachers on camera that — a year down — helped forest authorities secure a conviction, according to a person involved in the experiment.

Cameras set up in remote regions are a key tool in surveys and census counts of tigers and elephants but have limitations such as requiring personnel physically access the machine to prise photos. They are also bulky and are not always optimised to conserve charge to keep the instruments running.

The new kind of camera set-up, called the TrailGuard AI camera-alert system, being tested are slim devices that can be inconspicuously set up within the foliage of trees.

Shaped like a pen, 13.8 cm long and 1.4 cm wide, it is wired to another ‘communications’ unit, the size of a notepad.

The system has embedded software that can be instructed to take pictures of specific species of interest. In the usual camera set-ups, the motion-triggered devices will snap pictures of anything — from a falling leaf to a jungle fowl that comes in its line of sight. The TrailGuard system can be set to specifically capture humans or species of interest — lions, tigers, cheetahs.

A team of researchers and developers involved in developing and testing the system, in an article published in the journal Biosciences report that 12 TrailGuard AI camera-alert systems were tested from mid-May to mid-July 2022 on the Kanha–Pench corridor along with seven camera-alert systems in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in early September 2022 to mid-December.

“Researchers and forest department officials received notifications of tiger presence via email or push notification between 30 and 42 seconds after detections. These notifications included tiger detections from three units that were within 300 meters of a village and from which there were also daily notifications of villagers grazing cattle or collecting forest products,” they note.

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NTCA count records rise in tiger population in Kerala

 

SARATH BABU GEORGE, 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, the hindu, august 1, 2023

Kerala’s tiger population has increased to 213 in 2022 from 190 in 2018, according to an estimate released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

While the Periyar and Parambikulam Tiger Reserves which fall under the Western Ghats landscape have recorded significant population growth, the former is also adjudged the best managed tiger reserve in the country for the second time on the trot by topping the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of tiger reserves.

According to the Status of Tigers: Co-Predators and Prey in India 2022 report released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on the occasion of Global Tiger Day on July 29, the Periyar Tiger Reserve has recorded a tiger count of 31 with a standard error (SE) of 0.2. The number of tigers found to utilise the reserve is pegged at 43 (SE 4.5).

Floating population

The Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is found to have 31 residents (SE 0.3), while 42 tigers (SE 4.4) including the floating population make use of the protected area. The findings indicate an increase from populations of 26 tigers each found exclusively in both reserves in 2018.

Chief Wildlife Warden Ganga Singh attributes the increase in tiger population to the State’s wildlife conservation efforts derived from accepted global practices.

The Periyar reserve tops the fifth cycle of the MEE exercise of tiger reserves in 2022 with a score of 94.53% to be rated ‘excellent’.

The Parambikulam reserve comes 8th in the evaluation with a score of 84.09% and a ‘very good’ rating.

At the Global Tiger Day observance held at Corbett Tiger Reserve recently, Periyar was also among six tiger reserves to be accorded the Conservation Assured|Tiger Standards (CATS) accreditation by the global coalition of Tiger Range Countries. Parambikulam attained the coveted status for meeting a set of standards for effective conservation of big cats two years ago.

A model one

Periyar Tiger Reserve field director P.P. Pramod says the tiger reserve, being a pioneer in management and conservation efforts, welfare of local population and eco-development activities, is viewed by many others across the country as a model one.

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Despite enforcement, illegal trafficking of protected species rife in the State

 

NAVAMY SUDHISH, 

KOLLAM, The Hindu, July 2, 2023

Owls may be considered inauspicious by some in Kerala, but the nocturnal bird is an indispensable part of occult practices in rural Karnataka and some northern States. It is often sacrificed to ‘‘ward off’’ bad luck, while there are communities that still follow the superstitious custom of dabbing its blood on the main entrance of commercial establishments.

Red sand boa, locally known as ‘iruthala moori’, is supposed to bring prosperity and the reptile continues to be a fancy item among poachers.

Both have high demand in trafficking circles and they are frequently spotted on clandestine virtual platforms where they are sold for exorbitant prices.

Despite strict preventive and enforcement measures in place, wildlife traders are using social media and private online groups to market protected species.

Many fake products

According to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), while everything from pangolins to musk pods are available, many products being sold are fake.

“It’s nearly impossible to infiltrate sophisticated wildlife trafficking networks. You need multiple references to enter such groups, but we have access to some groups and have carried out several operations based on the intel,” says an official.

Wildlife traders usually use devices that are not easy to trace while exchanging pictures of protected species and conducting auctions. “Tracing them with the help of the cyber cell is often a time-consuming exercise and at present we do not have the resources to expedite the process. It is a huge challenge,” adds the official.

Despite wildlife activists and enforcement authorities joining hands to prevent illegal purchases, poaching and trafficking continue due to the demand. “It is a fake trade with overhyped price tags. Lot of wildlife captures are happening due to baseless myths and superstitions. The musk pods available are not original but just some kind of scent wrapped in fox skin, and the tiger claws are made of cow horns,” says Jose Louies, chief of enforcement, Wildlife Trust of India.

Invasive species

Meanwhile, the inflow of illegal invasive species into the State poses another serious threat. Mr. Louies says Kerala is a State with huge domestic market as it has many animals protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

“Kerala is only second to West Bengal when it comes to exotic pet stock. The State has a huge population of captive exotics and this is going to affect the biodiversity of Kerala. People buy these pets, keep them for some time and release them and this will have a severe impact on our ecosystem. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed,” he says.

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Injured tigress found dead at coffee plantation in Wayanad

 

THE HINDU BUREAU, 

KALPETTA, january 1, 2023

A tigress that triggered panic at Maramala, near Vakery, in the past few days after it entered human habitations was found dead in a private coffee plantation adjacent to the Irulam forest of the Chethalayath forest range under the South Wayanad Forest Division on Saturday morning.

It was spotted in a critical condition at the plantation three days ago. The carcass was found around 8 a.m. on the day during a search for the animal.

Chethalayath forest range officer Abdul Samad said the tigress was about five years old. The animal had suffered a deep wound on its right hind leg. The wound indicated that the big cat was in a critical state after it had fought with a tiger.

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