HOW AN AWARD-WINNING TEEN INVENTED A $300 AI TOOL TO STOP ELEPHANT POACHERS

Inspiration can strike anywhere—even in a high school student's passion for wildlife protection. When 17-year-old Anika Puri witnessed the persistent illegal ivory trade during trips to India, she refused to accept that poaching remained an unsolved crisis.

After noticing that traditional drone surveillance lacked real-time accuracy and required expensive thermal cameras, Puri discovered a critical breakthrough: humans and elephants move in vastly different ways. By analyzing differences in speed, turning radii, and herd dynamics, she created ElSa (short for Elephant Savior)—a low-cost, machine-learning tool that analyzes movement patterns in thermal drone feeds.

INSIDE THE INNOVATION BEHIND ELSA:

• Spatio-Temporal Analysis: Instead of relying solely on static thermal images—which can yield poor accuracy from high flight altitudes—ElSa tracks movement over time, detecting human poachers with over 90% accuracy.

• Low-Cost Accessibility: By pairing a $250 FLIR ONE Pro thermal camera with an off-the-shelf iPhone attached to a drone, Puri built a $300 prototype. This eliminates the need for $5,000+ high-resolution cameras, easing the financial burden on under-resourced national parks.

• Award-Winning Impact: Puri took home the $10,000 Peggy Scripps Award for Science Communication at the 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

• Leading the Future of STEM: After earning dual Bachelor's degrees from MIT in AI/Computer Science and Business Management in June 2026, Puri continues to advocate for diverse voices driving ethical AI innovations for social and environmental good.

HARNESSING INNOVATION TO SAVE WILDLIFE

Young innovators like Anika Puri remind us that the future of conservation relies on combining fresh technological thinking with frontline defense. Equipping park rangers with accessible, data-driven tools is one of our most powerful weapons against international wildlife crime.