JICA-funded AI, Telegram devices to track Dalma elephants in Bankura
The Statesman | 31 October 2025High-resolution, solar-powered AI-enabled cameras are planned for installation at multiple points along the elephant corridor. These devices will feature high-frequency sensors and specialised software to estimate herd size, count individual elephants, and assess movement patterns. A senior forest official stated: “The devices will transmit photos and videos containing detailed data directly to the divisional control room, as well as to the mobile phones of designated forest personnel. Alerts will also be sent to Range officials via a dedicated Telegram channel.”
As of today, 62 migratory elephants from the Dalma Range were sighted in Saharjora and Paboa within the Barjora Range, with one spotted in the Patrasayar Range of Bankura.
The migratory herds from Jharkhand’s Dalma Range forests have long caused extensive damage to farmland and residential areas, and have claimed human lives. Previous initiatives, including the ambitious Mayurjharna Elephant Project, have failed to yield lasting results.
Now, senior forest officials have confirmed that the state will install at least 50 AI-enabled cameras across forest patches along the corridor to enhance surveillance. A recent pilot project in neighbouring Jhargram district proved effective in curbing damage during herd inflows this year.
The forest department plans to expand the initiative to Bankura, West Midnapore, and the remaining parts of Jhargram. A total of 200 AI-enabled cameras will be deployed across the three districts. Sheikh Farid, Divisional Forest Officer, Bankura (North), said: “JICA is providing full financial support for the project.” He added: “Implementation will begin shortly.”
Currently, ground-level forest officials are conducting detailed surveys along the corridor to accurately map the routes followed by the migratory herds upon entering the Panchet Soil Conservation Division in Bishnupur. Areas adjacent to forest zones that experience frequent damage are also being assessed. Records from the past two decades show that the herds typically settle in the Barjora and Beliatore Ranges after briefly halting in the Sonamukhi Range, and often venture into urban settlements such as Durgapur, Panagarh, Andal, and Raniganj, crossing the Damodar River.
