AI-based sirens, cellphone alerts to reduce leopard attacks in Junnar

Pune: The Junnar forest division has installed an artificial intelligence-based animal detection and alert system across 20 vulnerable villages, where leopard sightings and attacks have become a recurring threat for residents.The electronic surveillance system, equipped with a 180-degree camera and capable of detecting animal movement up to 100 metres away, has been installed near hamlets and routes frequently used by leopards. Once a camera captures the movement of a wild animal within its range, the system automatically activates a loud siren and simultaneously sends an image alert to a cellphone application monitored by forest officials and local volunteers.Forest officials said the initiative had helped authorities respond faster to leopard movement and alert villagers. "This gives a massive advantage to us and villagers because we can immediately alert people living in a particular area. It has helped us in preventing possible attacks on livestock and humans in the past few months," Smita Rajhans, assistant conservator of forests, Junnar division, told TOI.The Junnar division, including parts of Pune district, is known for frequent leopard movement. Experts said Junnar remained the country's one of the most prominent human-leopard conflict zones because of its unique agricultural landscape, where sugarcane fields provide ideal cover for big cats. Forest officials said leopards often took shelter in sugarcane fields and ventured into villages in search of easy prey such as stray dogs and livestock.According to the forest department, a total of 55 alert systems were installed in 30 villages earlier. The AI-based network would be extended to more high-risk locations identified through repeated sightings and attack patterns in the latest phase.Officials said the move was a part of a broader conflict mitigation strategy, including awareness drives, rapid response teams and surveillance. "We have captured or trapped 155 leopards across the division in the past 14 months. The operation intensified after three human deaths were reported in the Shirur forest range in Nov last year," a senior forest official said.Many villagers welcomed the technology-driven approach, while some questioned its effectiveness on the ground."The siren helps at night because people become alert immediately. Earlier, we would know about leopard movement only after cattle were attacked," said Ganesh Hole, a resident of a village in Ambegaon taluka.Another villager from the Shirur range said the system had limitations. "Leopards hide inside sugarcane fields. Cameras installed on roads or open spaces cannot always detect them. We still fear sending children out alone in the evening," said Sangeeta Jadhav, a farm worker.Forest officials admitted that technology alone cannot eliminate the conflict but said it could significantly reduce surprise encounters and improve the response time. "This system may not stop every attack, but early warning can save lives. The focus is on minimising conflict and creating coexistence," an official said.