📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Snehrashmi
Science
AI system diverts 6,682 lions from Gujarat railway tracks, zero train deaths in two years
✍️ The Indian Express
🗓 19 Aug 2026, 01:33 PM
👁 2
The Gujarat government’s AI‑driven monitoring has rerouted 6,682 lions away from railway lines, preventing any train‑related fatalities over the past two years.
The state government of Gujarat has deployed an artificial‑intelligence based surveillance system along railway corridors that intersect the Gir forest’s lion habitat. The technology is designed to detect approaching lions and alert railway officials so that the animals can be guided away from the tracks.
According to official data, the AI platform has successfully diverted 6,682 lions in the last two years, and no lion has been killed by a train during that period. The figures represent a marked improvement in wildlife safety compared with earlier years when train collisions were a recurring concern.
The system combines motion‑sensing cameras, thermal imaging and real‑time analytics to identify the presence of a lion near a rail line. When an animal is spotted, an automated alert is sent to railway control rooms, prompting the activation of temporary speed restrictions and the use of designated diversion routes that lead the lion back into forest cover.
State wildlife officials said the initiative demonstrates how technology can complement traditional conservation measures. They plan to expand the AI coverage to additional rail sections and to integrate the data with broader wildlife movement studies.
If the current trend continues, Gujarat aims to maintain a zero‑mortality record for its iconic big cats while ensuring uninterrupted railway operations across the region.
According to official data, the AI platform has successfully diverted 6,682 lions in the last two years, and no lion has been killed by a train during that period. The figures represent a marked improvement in wildlife safety compared with earlier years when train collisions were a recurring concern.
The system combines motion‑sensing cameras, thermal imaging and real‑time analytics to identify the presence of a lion near a rail line. When an animal is spotted, an automated alert is sent to railway control rooms, prompting the activation of temporary speed restrictions and the use of designated diversion routes that lead the lion back into forest cover.
State wildlife officials said the initiative demonstrates how technology can complement traditional conservation measures. They plan to expand the AI coverage to additional rail sections and to integrate the data with broader wildlife movement studies.
If the current trend continues, Gujarat aims to maintain a zero‑mortality record for its iconic big cats while ensuring uninterrupted railway operations across the region.