Hojai | Madukkarai: In a tragic incident, seven elephants were killed and one was injured after being struck by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Hojai district, Assam. The accident has once again brought attention to elephant-train collisions, a persistent challenge in India’s forested regions.
After this accident, Supriya Sahu, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change & Forests, highlighted the successful Madukkarai AI Project in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on social media.
Launched on 9 February 2024, by then Forest Minister Dr M. Mathiventhan in the presence of Sahu and Srinivas. R. Reddy, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Head of Forest Department, Tamil Nadu, the project employs Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to monitor elephant movements along railway tracks in real time.
The initiative has ensured nearly 6,000 safe elephant crossings and zero deaths over the past two years, said Sahu in her social media post.
Zero elephant deaths on railway tracks in the last two years in Madukkarai, Tamil Nadu, on the very tracks that once witnessed tragic losses of precious elephant lives. Last night, I was with my team at the Madukkarai AI Elephant Centre, reviewing the functioning of the AI… pic.twitter.com/FylBQA7GGh
— Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) December 20, 2025
The Coimbatore Forest Division has faced increasing Human-Elephant Conflict due to seasonal elephant migrations from Nilgiris and Sathyamangalam to southern Kerala forests, compounded by developmental activities, habitat disruption and linear infrastructure.
To safeguard the wildlife from such accidents in Madukkarai Range railway tracks, the state government implemented a seven-kilometre AI-monitored stretch with 12 high towers, spaced 500 meters apart, equipped with thermal and regular cameras.
The system feeds data to a control room where forest department staff and technicians monitor the movements and alert train operators via SMS, hooters and digital displays.
The AI system not only prevents collisions but also collects critical data on elephant behaviour, movement patterns and individual profiling.
Sahu emphasised that while no system is foolproof, the Madukkarai initiative shows that technology, when applied thoughtfully, can significantly reduce conflicts between humans and wildlife, offering a model for replication across India.
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