
Supriya Sahu IAS
@supriyasahuias • 282,345 subscribers
UNEP Champions of the Earth 2025 laureate I Additional Chief Secretary | Govt of TN | committed to Public Service | Climate | Wildlife I Tweets personal
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Zero deaths. That is the mission. A dedicated team of forest officers, patrolling staff, loco pilots, drone operators and control centre monitors works round the clock at Tamil Nadu’s AI-powered Elephant Control and Command Centre in Madukkarai in Coimbatore to keep elephants safe. In just over two and a half years, the system has facilitated around 9,481 safe elephant crossings ensuring Zero elephant deaths on Railway Tracks, demonstrating how technology, human vigilance and teamwork can come together to protect wildlife. The system has generated more than 7,116 real-time alerts for railway authorities and loco pilots, leading to 3,821 instances where trains were slowed down or stopped to allow elephants to cross safely. Beyond elephants, the system has also detected deer, gaurs and leopards, creating a comprehensive AI-enabled wildlife monitoring network. The Government of Tamil Nadu continues to strengthen the system. AI-powered drones have been deployed for wider landscape surveillance, extending monitoring beyond fixed thermal cameras and providing real-time situational awareness of elephant movements. No system can ever be perfect, and the worry never really goes away. But we must keep learning, improving and doing better. A big shoutout to these unsung heroes whose constant vigilance, dedication and hard work make this possible. #AIMadukkarai #AIForWildlife #Elephants #WildlifeConservation
Supriya Sahu IAS182,029 görüntüleme • 14 gün önce

“ ஓடுங்க ஓடுங்க தங்கப்பிள்ளை...” ( Run, run, golden child ) These are the affectionate words of a fisherman as he calls out in Tamil while gently releasing a juvenile dugong, accidentally caught in his fishing net, back into the sea in Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu. What makes this beautiful moment truly unforgettable is the story behind it. Years of sustained awareness, engagement and trust-building with local fisherfolk, supported by incentive mechanisms introduced with the help of District Collectors, is encouraging communities to actively participate in conservation. From 2023 till date 21 Dugongs have been rescued. The restoration of approximately 3 acres of seagrass the lifeline of dugongs is further strengthening their habitat. This goes to show that the future of conservation will ultimately depend on how meaningfully local communities are involved in protecting wildlife and the ecosystems they share. Kudos to CF, DFO Pudukkottai and the Team #TNForest TN DIPR
Supriya Sahu IAS91,768 görüntüleme • 8 gün önce

What if your next stay came with the sounds of the forest, trekking trails at your doorstep and the Anamalai Tiger Reserve on the horizon ! 😊 Welcome to Camp Sethumadai in Coimbatore, where five comfortable tents, private washrooms, good food and plenty of wilderness await you. But what makes this place truly special is that it is fully operated by the local tribal community, creating livelihoods while offering visitors a deeper connection with the landscape and the people who know it best. Operated by Trek Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu Forest Department . More details:
Supriya Sahu IAS85,519 görüntüleme • 9 gün önce

An 800-kg wild gaur walked more than 300 km across Tamil Nadu, from the forests of Trichy to the shores of Pamban. What followed was one of the most complex wildlife operations undertaken in the state. After a month of tracking the animal through human-dominated landscapes, and when all efforts to guide it back to suitable habitat failed, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department carried out the state’s first long-distance gaur translocation. Nearly 100 personnel, including expert veterinarians and trackers, worked in challenging coastal terrain to safely tranquilize, transport and release the animal in a Reserve Forest in Dindigul after a 13-hour capture operation and a 9-hour journey. Translocating a gaur is among the most challenging wildlife management tasks. This successful operation marks a significant milestone in conflict mitigation and wildlife management, while providing valuable lessons for future human-wildlife conflict situations. Kudos to the entire team 👏👏💪
Supriya Sahu IAS177,758 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

As a beautiful family of elephants crosses the railway track at Madukkarai in Coimbatore, an AI-powered early warning system by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department ensures their safe passage, a sight that fills the heart with warmth. What better tribute to elephants on the #WorldElephantDay than guaranteeing their right to a safe life. Since November 2023, this system has ensured zero elephant deaths on the tracks. We have installed 12 towers and 24 thermal cameras on constant watch, 6,592 elephants have crossed safely. Saluting forest rangers, track watchers, guards, loco pilots and officers who are making this possible. Lets do more of these interventions to ensure long term survival of these beautiful elephant families. Video rights - Tamil Nadu Forest Department #ElephantDay #elephants #worldelephantday2025 #wildlifeconservation WWF-India IUCN Wildlife Institute of India
Supriya Sahu IAS1,018,395 görüntüleme • 11 ay önce

Hello Chennai here comes your third Mangrove Magic ! Along the Buckingham Canal, the Chennai Forest Division has planted 20,000 mangrove seedlings across 20 hectares during 2025–26. What you see here is the fishbone structure to support healthy tidal flow. 8 main fishbone canals have been created with 8 feeder canals and 186 distribution channels. This is supported by Team ICICI Bank under their CSR initiative This effort builds on the earlier phases wherein 12,500 mangrove seedlings were planted near Kazhipattur along the Buckingham Canal in 2024–25, with 2,500 associate coastal species, followed by 5,000 mangroves planted at the Battle of Adyar Island estuary. Step by step, TN Forest Department is building Chennai's living coastal bioshield restoring mangroves that protect the city, nurture biodiversity and strengthen climate resilience. Kudos to Chennai DFO Thiru Saravanan and his entire team 💪🙌 #Mangroves #Chennai #Climateaction #ClimateAction
Supriya Sahu IAS372,632 görüntüleme • 4 ay önce

A majestic tigress cools off in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu, reminding us that conservation, when pursued with determination, delivers results India’s tiger population has grown from 1,411 in 2006 to an estimated 3,682 in 2022, a remarkable journey built on decades of policy, science, sustained protection, dedicated frontline staff and the support of communities living alongside tiger landscapes. Tamil Nadu has been an important part of this journey, with its tiger population increasing from 264 in 2018 to 306 in 2022 across a landscape anchored by five Tiger Reserves. As the 6th cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation, the world’s largest wildlife monitoring exercise gets underway in 2026, we look forward to new milestones and renewed hope for the future of our tigers. #TNForest Video Supriya Sahu IAS
Supriya Sahu IAS34,166 görüntüleme • 11 gün önce

Somewhere in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, a majestic tusker takes a walk, quietly greeted by a herd of deer. Few places capture the harmony of the wild quite like this. Mudumalai is equally a stronghold for elephants as it is for Tigers. Nestled within the globally significant Nilgiri landscape, it shares seamless boundaries with the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka and the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala, forming one of the world’s most important conservation landscapes for Asian elephants and tigers alike. Video Supriya Sahu IAS
Supriya Sahu IAS36,034 görüntüleme • 18 gün önce

Busy busy day at our Theppakadu elephant camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Mahouts are mixing ragi, rice,Jaggery, coconut, salt and minerals into massive food balls which are directly fed to our majestic elephants waiting patiently for their wholesome meal after which they will be left to forage in the forest Video Supriya Sahu IAS Tamil Nadu Forest Department #Elephants #elephants #WildlifeConservation #Theppakadu #MudumalaiTigerReserve #TNForest
Supriya Sahu IAS598,452 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce

The year ends on a heartwarming note for us at TN Forest Department, as our Foresters united a lost baby elephant with her mother and the herd after rescue in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve at Pollachi. The little calf was found searching for the mother when field teams spotted her. With the help of drones & experienced forest watchers the herd was located and the tiny calf was safely reunited. Teams are still on ground for monitoring. Kudos to Ramasubramanian, CF, Bhargava Teja FD, Range officer Manikantan and the entire team 👍 videos FD TN DIPR Tamil Nadu Forest Department MoEF&CC #elephantcalf
Supriya Sahu IAS1,140,728 görüntüleme • 2 yıl önce

The recent AI Impact Summit hosted by India recently brings focus on practical applications of AI. At Madukkarai in Tamil Nadu, a simple AI-based Elephant Detection System has enabled 8,679 safe elephant crossings in a little more than 2 years. Incidently it has also recorded 100 leopard alerts, 560 wild gaur alerts, and captured 14,888 deer alerts across two vulnerable railway stretches, protecting precious wildlife. In Gudalur in the Nilgiris, another AI system is working at the landscape level to generate real-time alerts for the local community, and in Hosur too, an AI system is helping elephants. These systems may not be perfect, no system ever is, but the foremost goal is protection. The future of AI lies not just in innovation, but in using technology where it matters most: solving real problems, in real places, and for real lives #AIforgood #wildlifeconservation #MadukkaraiAIProject #elephants WWF-India WWF IUCN
Supriya Sahu IAS177,397 görüntüleme • 4 ay önce

Woo hoo ! Tamil Nadu,your first Dark Sky Park is here at Ariyur Shola Reserve Forest at Kolli Hills.Crystal-clear, light-pollution-free skies. Structured stargazing sessions. New moon night camps. Get ready to look up and witness the stars like never before. Reach the Universe Starvoirs Details at #DarkSkyPark #KolliHills #TNForest
Supriya Sahu IAS185,690 görüntüleme • 4 ay önce

At Pulicat Lake in Thiruvallur district near Chennai, flamingos create a magical spectacle, their pink hues shimmering across the waters and transforming the landscape into a living canvas. Pulicat is India’s second-largest brackish water lagoon, after Chilika Lake & shares its borders with Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh. Lying along the Central Asian Flyway, its nutrient-rich mudflats serve as vital feeding grounds, drawing thousands of flamingos each season from distant regions #Pulicatlake #flamingoes video Tamil Nadu Forest Department
Supriya Sahu IAS126,694 görüntüleme • 3 ay önce

Incredible sight ! A big shout-out to Loco Pilot Das and Assistant Loco Pilot Umesh Kumar of the 15959 Kamrup Express for their swift and heroic action on 16th October in saving a herd of about 60 elephants crossing the railway tracks between Habaipur and Lamsakhang by applying emergency brakes. Pilots were alerted through a Artificial Intelligence based Detection System which comprehensively covers the track. This incident spotlights the importance of technology to prevent such near-misses. Tamil Nadu’s AI-based surveillance system implemented by us in Madukkarai, Coimbatore has also successfully prevented elephant-train collisions through 24/7 monitoring with thermal cameras and real-time alerts. Implementing similar solutions across vulnerable tracks can significantly reduce fatalities and enhance coexistence between wildlife and human infrastructure. Video मं.रे.प्र.लामडिंग, पू.सी.रेलवे / DRM LUMDING NFR #elephants #madukkarai #wildlifeconservation #AIinwildlifeconservation Tamil Nadu Forest Department
Supriya Sahu IAS660,980 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce

Along the coast of Tamil Nadu, in the waters of Ramanathapuram, particularly around Pamban, Keelakarai and Ervadi over 300 traditionally skilled fisherwomen dive into the sea everyday to earn for their families. Setting out in groups of eight to ten by boat before sunrise, they skin-dive up to depths of 4–5 metres, hand-picking seaweed from the seabed and gathering it in mesh bags known locally as kacha. By the time they return to shore around 1 p.m., each woman brings back 10–12 bags of seaweed, with each bag weighing 20–25 kilograms. Their labour sustains their families supporting children’s education, and household needs. Government of Tamil Nadu, under the TN-SHORE Project, is designing a Village Enterprise Model working with them to strengthen their enterprise, build value chains and empower them economically. This Women’s Day, we salute these seaweed gatherers of Tamil Nadu, truly courageous women who inspire 🫡 #InternationalWomensDay2026 #WomensDay2026 #WomensDay Tamil Nadu Forest Department TN Climate Change Mission
Supriya Sahu IAS152,221 görüntüleme • 4 ay önce

Some incredible news from the shores of Tamil Nadu. Our satellite-tagged Olive Ridley turtle Kayal, released at Besant Nagar, has returned not once, but three times to nest along the Chennai coast, laying 389 eggs in a single season. She travelled south and then chose Chennai again. Another turtle, Megalai, returned twice, laying 211 eggs. Science now confirms what we long believed, nesting-site fidelity is real. The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has established 49 turtle hatcheries across 10 coastal districts. So far, 1,150 nests have been secured, protecting 1,35,304 eggs, and 477 hatchlings have safely made their way to the sea. Yes, challenges remain. We are monitoring the coastline 24×7 through our State-level Turtle Task Force. So far, 668 turtle mortalities have been reported across the state, which we are closely monitoring and addressing through strengthened protection and coordinated action. #TNForest #Turtleconservation #wildlifeconservation IUCN UN Environment Programme Tamil Nadu Forest Department
Supriya Sahu IAS164,024 görüntüleme • 4 ay önce

Zero elephant deaths on railway tracks in the last two years in Madukkarai, Tamil Nadu, on the very tracks that once witnessed tragic losses of precious elephant lives. Last night, I was with my team at the Madukkarai AI Elephant Centre, reviewing the functioning of the AI early-warning system, which has enabled nearly 6,000 safe elephant crossings, showing that technology can meaningfully reduce conflict when applied thoughtfully. No system is ever perfect, but solutions like this show what is possible when prevention is prioritised.#AIforgood #elephants #MadukkaraiAIproject
Supriya Sahu IAS216,640 görüntüleme • 7 ay önce

Elephants, gaurs, deer and countless other species are returning to areas once overrun by invasive plants as the TN Forest Department, GOTN continues one of India’s largest ecosystem restoration efforts. More than 40,000 hectares of Forests have been restored, including nearly 31,000 hectares cleared of lantana. The true measure of success, however, is not the number of hectares cleared but the return of life. Landscapes once choked by invasive species are witnessing the revival of native habitats, with large mammals and ground-nesting birds reclaiming these restored spaces. The removed biomass is converted into briquettes. Around 120 MT of briquettes have been supplied to local tea factories creating a circular climate solution This pioneering initiative advances two global goals simultaneously: biodiversity recovery through ecosystem restoration and climate action through sustainable carbon management. Kudos all the DFOs, DDs and frontline Staff who are behind this initiative. Video DD MTR Thiru Ganeshan #TNForest #Generationrestoration
Supriya Sahu IAS34,442 görüntüleme • 28 gün önce

The Circle of life continues #TheElephantsWhisperers Bomman & Bellie are now foster parents to another orphaned baby elephant from Dharmapuri,now in #Mudumalai after Team #TNForest tried its best to reunite the 4 months old calf with herd. We are happy he is in safe hands. vc-ss
Supriya Sahu IAS985,462 görüntüleme • 3 yıl önce