Alipurduar, Sept. 7 -- The Forest Department is set to deploy a technology-driven "virtual triangle" for round-the-clock surveillance of tigers being brought to Buxa Tiger Reserve from another state under the proposed Royal Bengal tiger reintroduction programme.

Forest officials said the system combines three technologies. Besides tracking radio-collared tigers, it will monitor human movement in protected areas and strengthen anti-poaching efforts. The first component is AI-enabled camera trapping. Motion-sensor cameras will capture images of passing animals, and AI software will identify individual tigers by analysing their unique stripe patterns, similar to fingerprints.

The second is the M-StrIPES mobile application, used by forest personnel during patrols.

Officials can record their location, photograph tiger pugmarks, geo-tag images and upload field observations to senior officers.

The third component is E-eye and thermal surveillance technology. Thermal and infrared cameras installed on high towers along vulnerable stretches will act as an electronic fence. The system can alert the control room if a person or wild animal weighing 20 kg or more attempts to cross a monitored zone.

Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon said the reintroduction involved ensuring suitable habitat, an adequate prey base, reducing human pressure and providing long-term protection. "October 2 is very close. We are now approaching that historic moment," he said.

A senior North Bengal forest official said the technology was important because of Buxa's location between Bhutan and Assam's Manas landscape. "Radio-collar technology alone cannot provide complete surveillance of a tiger's movements. That is why we will use the virtual triangle alongside other technologies," the official said.

Buxa will be divided into safe and unsafe zones. If a tiger moves towards a human settlement or tea garden, a Quick Response Team will be deployed immediately to track it and prevent possible human-animal conflict.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.