The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in Pakistan have made smart AI cameras to help protect people and snow leopards. These cameras can spot snow leopards and send alerts to nearby villagers to keep them and their animals safe.
There are around 300 snow leopards in Pakistan — the third-largest group in the world. Sadly, many are killed each year, mostly because they attack livestock and people fight back. About 221 to 450 snow leopards are killed every year, according to WWF.
To stop this, WWF has installed 10 AI cameras in three villages in Gilgit-Baltistan. These cameras are placed high up in the mountains, around 3,000 meters above sea level, with solar panels to keep them working.
The cameras use AI software to tell the difference between humans, animals, and snow leopards. Even if the mobile network is weak or down, the cameras keep recording and saving the data on their own.
Installing them wasn’t easy. The weather is very cold, and WWF had to test different batteries to make sure the cameras would keep working. They also painted the cameras with non-shiny paint, so animals wouldn’t get scared by reflections.
Some villagers were unsure about the project at first. Conservationist Asif Iqbal from WWF said some people damaged the cameras or tried to cover them up. In some areas, cameras were moved to respect women’s privacy. In a few villages, cameras haven’t been installed yet because people haven’t agreed to the project.
One villager, Sitara, lost six sheep in a snow leopard attack. She said it took her years to raise those animals, and they were all gone in one day. When asked if AI cameras might help, she said, “My phone barely works during the day, so how can a text help?”
WWF now plans to add smells, sounds, and lights near the cameras starting in September. This might help keep snow leopards away from villages and save both people and animals.
Source: ndtv
