Automated virtual elephant fence based on detection, alarming, and
coordinated redirection of wild elephantsUdaya Dampage, Rienzi Thajudeen,
Shasini Jasenthuliyana & Jehan Jayawardena Environmental Monitoring and
AssessmentMarch 31, 2021 Abstract
Against the backdrop of the almost total failure of conventional physical
fences to prevent deaths due to human-elephant conflict and elephant-train
collision, management of the problem requires novel approaches. The
elephant is a giant and intelligent animal, who, as has been observed
through experience, cannot be effectively confined to an area by physical
barriers, most of which are built without even considering long-established
elephant passes. Instead, human habitats and facilities, including
highways, should be pre-planned following an overall strategy to suitably
assign natural resources to each party such that natural habitats are
disturbed as little as possible. Hence, we envisage the need for a virtual
elephant fence as part of the aforesaid strategy to warn elephants that a
certain area is not appropriate for them to be present in or best for the
safety of the herd. The present study involved in-depth experimentation to
investigate the effects of multiple stimuli on real elephants based on the
known elephant responses to such stimuli. The proposed system is an
autonomous system that detects the presence of elephants, generates alarms
for concerned parties, and coordinatively and tactically repels the animals
back to safer areas. Experiment results indicated that the sound of a drone
and the sound of tiger growls can both exert a strong deterrent effect on
elephants. The sound of bees and the low-frequency burst yielded similar
results in terms of encounter and withdrawal reactions. The resulting
insights may lay a foundation for a novel approach toward the management of
human-elephant conflict and elephant-train collisions.
*ABSTRACT LINKhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10661-021-09024-y
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10661-021-09024-y *
*Automated virtual elephant fence based on detection, alarming, and
coordinated redirection of wild elephantsUdaya Dampage, Rienzi Thajudeen,
Shasini Jasenthuliyana & Jehan Jayawardena Environmental Monitoring and
AssessmentMarch 31, 2021 Abstract*
Against the backdrop of the almost total failure of conventional physical
fences to prevent deaths due to human-elephant conflict and elephant-train
collision, management of the problem requires novel approaches. The
elephant is a giant and intelligent animal, who, as has been observed
through experience, cannot be effectively confined to an area by physical
barriers, most of which are built without even considering long-established
elephant passes. Instead, human habitats and facilities, including
highways, should be pre-planned following an overall strategy to suitably
assign natural resources to each party such that natural habitats are
disturbed as little as possible. Hence, we envisage the need for a virtual
elephant fence as part of the aforesaid strategy to warn elephants that a
certain area is not appropriate for them to be present in or best for the
safety of the herd. The present study involved in-depth experimentation to
investigate the effects of multiple stimuli on real elephants based on the
known elephant responses to such stimuli. The proposed system is an
autonomous system that detects the presence of elephants, generates alarms
for concerned parties, and coordinatively and tactically repels the animals
back to safer areas. Experiment results indicated that the sound of a drone
and the sound of tiger growls can both exert a strong deterrent effect on
elephants. The sound of bees and the low-frequency burst yielded similar
results in terms of encounter and withdrawal reactions. The resulting
insights may lay a foundation for a novel approach toward the management of
human-elephant conflict and elephant-train collisions.
*ABSTRACT LINKhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10661-021-09024-y
<https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10661-021-09024-y> *
