PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN — True Corporation has partnered with Kui Buri National Park to address human-elephant conflict through technology, aiming to reduce crop and property damage caused by wild elephants. The collaboration employs the True Smart Early Warning System (TSEWS), a tech-driven initiative integrating 5G internet, 4G wireless broadband, and Internet of Things (IoT) systems.
Launched in partnership with the Department of National Parks and the World Wide Fund for Nature-Thailand in 2018, the system monitors over 400 wild elephants in Kui Buri National Park. It uses camera traps equipped with SIM cards to capture images and GPS coordinates of elephants venturing outside forest areas. These alerts are transmitted to a central cloud system, allowing field officers to intervene promptly.
Chief Executive Manat Manavutiveth emphasized that TSEWS exemplifies True’s “Tech for Good” philosophy by addressing critical challenges such as human-elephant conflict. The system has significantly improved outcomes, reducing crop damage during elephant intrusions from 74.5% in 2017 to just 0.36% in 2023.
The increasing wild elephant population in Thailand, estimated between 4,013 and 4,422 across 94 protected areas, has led to more frequent human-elephant encounters. From 2021 to 2023, elephants left forest areas over 37,000 times, causing more than 3,800 incidents of property and crop damage. These encounters have also resulted in 227 human fatalities and 198 injuries over the past 12 years.
The TSEWS addresses a major challenge: the inability to predict elephants’ movements. By combining real-time monitoring with artificial intelligence, the system enhances situational awareness and enables safer coexistence. Drones deployed by field officers guide elephants back into forest areas, reducing risks to humans and animals alike.
Deputy Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Veera Kunchairuk, praised the system’s efficiency, stating it has become a vital tool for wildlife management teams. With its proven success in Kui Buri, True plans to expand the model to other regions facing similar conflicts, potentially offering solutions to countries with significant human-elephant conflicts, such as India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya.
