Sri Lanka is exploring the introduction of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based early warning system developed in China to detect wild elephants approaching villages and alert residents before the animals enter populated areas.
Preliminary discussions were held in Galgamuwa on Friday (13) with Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Wei Huaxiang and representatives of Huawei as part of efforts to find technological solutions to the country’s human-elephant conflict.
The proposed system, which is already being used in China, is designed to identify approaching wild elephants and send warning signals and messages to nearby communities, giving residents time to take precautions.
The discussions included a field visit to examine the possibility of adapting the technology to Sri Lankan conditions.
During the visit, Ambassador Wei Huaxiang inspected elephant corridors, buffer zones, villages and farmlands affected by human-elephant conflict in the Galgamuwa area.
The Ambassador also met local elephant protection teams and spoke with residents to understand how elephant movements affect their daily lives, livelihoods and safety.
The initiative aims to protect both human lives and wild elephants by using modern technology to reduce dangerous encounters between people and animals.
The proposed AI-based system remains at the preliminary discussion stage, with no announcement yet on its implementation timeline or cost. (Newswire)
