Forest Minister Mathiventhan addressed the National Forest Martyrs' Day event in Coimbatore, highlighting efforts to monitor elephant movements and prevent conflicts with humans using AI technology.
Coimbatore: The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is actively working on determining elephant corridors to prevent conflicts between humans and elephants, announced Forest Minister Mathiventhan during the National Forest Martyrs' Day commemorative event held at the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy in Coimbatore.
The event saw the participation of Forest Minister Mathiventhan, forest department officials, and Tamil Nadu Forest Academy officials, who paid their respects by placing floral wreaths at the Forest Martyrs' Memorial.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Mathiventhan highlighted that the Forest Department is utilizing artificial intelligence to monitor elephant movements in the Madukkarai region. He emphasized that forest officials are taking measures to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks and mitigate human-elephant conflicts.
The Minister stated that forest officials promptly respond to public information about elephant movements, engaging in immediate elephant driving operations. Responding to a question about photographs of elephants consuming plastic, he requested that such images be forwarded to the department for investigation and identification of the specific areas.
Mathiventhan also mentioned plans to procure new equipment for the Forest Department. He added that studies on elephant corridors are underway, with the department working to designate paths that would not cause problems for either humans or elephants.
The Minister issued a warning that appropriate action would be taken against resorts operating in forest areas without proper permissions if such activities come to light.