India is immensely proud of its efforts to sustain and grow its tiger population. At a recent count there were estimated to be 3,682 wild tigers in India – which accounts for roughly 75% of the global wild tiger population - through Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Most recently, the government banned the use of mobile phones inside tourism zones of tiger reserves. Authorities have also prohibited new tiger safaris from operating within core critical habitats.
However, as well as looking after tigers and tourists, India must protect villagers and their livestock living near tiger reserves.
Help is at hand with the introduction of an AI-powered tiger alert system now operational across buffer areas of two reserves. The initiative reflects a broader push to address rising human-tiger interactions across central India.
The system relies primarily on the natural alarm calls of prey animals such as sambar and deer. When the AI detects distress vocalisations, indicating a tiger’s presence nearby a village, it triggers a loud siren audible across the village and sends simultaneous alerts to residents’ mobile phones.
A central dashboard at the forest control room gives rangers real-time updates for a coordinated response.
Officials say the system has the potential to reduce both human casualties and livestock losses while easing tensions between local communities and wildlife.