AI camera footage helps nab 5 armed poachers in Similipal

Bhubaneswar: In a joint operation, personnel from Similipal Tiger Reserve’s south division and police arrested five armed poachers after their movement was captured on an AI-enabled camera inside the wildlife sanctuary on Saturday.

Acting on the photographic evidence and subsequent intel inputs, the joint team raided a house in Katuria village under Kaptipada police station limits in Mayurbhanj district, and nabbed Mahendra Murmu, Dama Soren, Laxman Murmu, Ramjit Murmu and Meghanad Murmu.

Authorities said the raid led to the recovery of three country-made firearms and other contraband. “The accused were taken into custody after the raid and were later produced before the court. Investigators are expected to examine whether the group had links to a wider poaching network operating in the region,” said an officials.

In one of the biggest raids in recent history in Feb, altogether 39 poachers were arrested by the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) in Similipal, with nine guns, 20 bows and gunpowder.

They had planned to stay inside Similipal for days and hunt animals. STPF also surrounded them with the help of the AI camera surveillance. Initially, Similipal installed 10 cameras. But now 50-AI based cameras are keeping eye on trespassing. The authorities have planned to increase the number of cameras to 300 so that trespassing in the entire core and buffer areas can be monitored.

Wildlife authorities said AI camera surveillance helped field staff detect cases later, in case the poachers managed to flee. “We have infra-red (IR) and thermal cameras. In IR cameras, if poachers are captured in day time, the picture is more clear and we are able to catch them later from their houses. The thermal cameras detect both man and animal,” said Similipal field director Prakash Gogineni.

AI camera detection has helped Similipal authorities seize guns, arrows and bows, iron rod, balls of bicycles, catapult, clutch wire, big knife, gunpowder, animal traps, live cartridges, antlers of deer and sambar, plastic nets, axe and hand-made billhook.

In summer, AI cameras are also used to keep watch on forest fires. The smart cameras for fire detection are in use in South America and Africa.



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