AI system to be used in Junnar against leopard attacks

Pune: The Junnar forest division will be the department’s first territorial wing to implement an artificial intelligence--based virtual wall to mitigate human-leopard conflict.
This system will be installed on a pilot basis at several hotspots of the region, based on a field visit on Tuesday to the Yedgaon dam backwaters in Junnar by representatives of Valiance Solutions, a technology solutions company.

The system is primarily being used to give an early warning of animal movements through real-time monitoring, to prevent attacks and increase vigilance in certain zones. It was installed for the first time in Maharashtra in a sanctuary, at Sitarampet of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), to mitigate human-tiger conflict. There, it was quite well-received by locals, said officials.
Deputy conservator of forests Amol Satpute added, “The sugarcane landscape makes Junnar’s forests different from the continuous forest of Tadoba. We are testing the AI system here to see if it can help reduce leopard attacks. If successful, we will take it up all over Junnar. The engineers will be looking at hotspots and deciding where to place systems. We hope it works.”
The team is currently creating a database. A control room was established a month ago by the department, from where a team calls guards and officers on ground in hotspot regions and other areas of four talukas for leopard information either as witnessed or in CCTV camera footage.
Forest officials are also visiting villagers in hotspots of Junnar to take details of families, GPS locations of houses, and a list of recent attacks. This activity will be done in 15-20 days, said the senior official, adding, “We will be mapping houses to create an overview of hotspots. It will help us better understand leopard attack activity and movements.”
Strikes decrease after
7 leopards captured
For the past three days, the forest department has received no alerts of leopard attacks or sightings in Junnar after a mission in the Yedgaon dam backwaters, where they captured seven leopards in five villages within a week.
“Their DNA samples have been sent to a lab in Hyderabad. Any problematic leopard will be kept in lifetime care. Manikdoh rescue centre will also have a better capacity as it is being expanded. The proposal is with the collector and once we obtain an NOC we can start our work. The government is prioritising this activity due to the rise in leopard attacks,” said a forest official.