Wild intelligence evolving with technology (AI Generated Image)
Dr. Deepak Kohli, New Delhi. Camera traps, drones and satellite based monitoring systems installed in many forests of the country and the world have given shocking facts to scientists. It has been observed that animals like leopard, fox, elephant and deer now avoid the routes where cameras or monitoring devices are more active.
In many cases, these animals also change their travel time and come out during hours when human activity is less. This means that wildlife has started making decisions based on experience and memory, not just fear.
great proof of intelligence
This change is more visible in wildlife living on the borders of urban areas and forests. Animals like monkeys, crows, jackals and leopards have started recognizing the sounds of traffic signals, CCTV cameras and electronic devices. It has been observed in many cities that crows search for food in areas where cameras are installed, because there the danger due to human presence is relatively less.
Similarly, monkeys have started reacting differently to the sound and brightness of mobile phones. Marine life is also not untouched by this change. Species such as whales and dolphins now change the depth and direction of their swimming by sensing sonar waves emitted from ships. This behavior is not merely the result of instinct but reflects a learning process. Scientists believe that this ability is evidence of the intelligence present in wildlife, which was underestimated for a long time.
There is a warning in this pattern too
While this adaptation raises hopes, its dangers are also not less. When animals become overly dependent on human technology, their natural behavior may diminish. Traditional warning systems of forests—such as smell, sound, and vibration—may gradually become irrelevant.
It is likely to affect the entire ecosystem. This changing behavior of wildlife warns us that ignoring nature while following the path of development and technology can be dangerous. Forests are not just groups of trees and animals, but living systems that learn.
If this change is understood in time, then a way can be found not for conflict but for co-existence between technology and nature. Otherwise forests will remain in future, but their natural nature and balance may become history!
Artificial intelligence and big data analytics have played an important role in understanding this ‘digital behaviour’. Thousands of hours of video and audio records have revealed that many animals remember patterns of technological signals, such as the sound of drones, the flash of a camera or the timed noise of machines.
This finding challenges the thinking that animals are driven only by instinct. Current wildlife conservation policies are still based on the assumption that animals are unaware of technology, but if they are beginning to recognize and learn from digital signals, a change in conservation strategies is necessary. Now the question is not only how do we save the forests with technology, but also what our technology is teaching the forests and animals.
(The author is Special Secretary, Uttar Pradesh Secretariat)
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