Tamil Nadu Wildlife Conservation Awards

November 9 , 2026 12 hrs 0 min 14 0

Tamil Nadu’s wildlife conservation initiatives against illegal country-made guns and an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based elephant warning system received national awards.
The Hosur Forest Division launched the ‘Ozhippom Thuppakkiyai, Kaapom Yanaigalai’ campaign in September 2022 to prevent elephant deaths caused by illegal country-made guns.
During the campaign’s two phases, 239 illegal country-made guns were voluntarily surrendered, helping reduce wildlife poaching.
K. Karthikeyani received the Special Jury Award for the Hosur campaign, while S. Senbagapriya received the Eco-Warrior Award for community-based conservation and scientific monitoring in the Mudumalai landscape.
An AI-based surveillance and early-warning system introduced in the Madukkarai forest range, Coimbatore, has helped ensure around 2,800 safe elephant crossings on railway tracks since February 2024.