The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) of India is creating a new system that will show rangers the best paths to take while patrolling the vast areas they are responsible for. Veterinarian Akhilesh Mishra has been providing animal care at Pench National Park in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh for 22 years. He continued by saying it was an extraordinary experience when he was able to heal a wounded tiger and allowed it to return to the forest. Most of the tigers he treats have suffered wounds while out hunting or defending their cubs. He has, however, also cared for tigers that had been poisoned by poachers.

The task of protecting India’s tigers is enormous because most of the country’s nearly 3,000 tigers live in one of the country’s 51 tiger reserves, which extend nearly 74,000 square kilometers. It is difficult to even estimate the total tiger population. The NTCA set up camera traps in 26,838 locations to conduct its most recent survey, which resulted in the collection of 34,858,623 images of wildlife. In addition, researchers walked tens of thousands of kilometers in search of evidence of tigers and their prey. The NTCA utilized artificial intelligence (AI), which had been trained to recognize various animals, to sort through all of that data. However, human rangers will still be required, according to Mohmad Sajid Sultan, assistant inspector general at the NTCA. Artificial intelligence will aid rangers in detecting wildlife crimes. However, according to Sunil Limaye, chief forest conservator for Maharashtra’s Tadaoba National Park, “it is still not possible for AI to replace human intelligence.”