High above the forested slopes encircling northern Seoul, autonomous drones are scanning the brush for an unexpected urban threat: wild boars. Equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time thermal imaging, the unmanned aircraft are part of a new high-tech surveillance system launched by Korea to intercept roaming wildlife before they stray into crowded city areas. Korea’s National Institute of Biological Resources said Thursday that it developed the AI-driven monitoring system to track wild boars in real time. By integrating autonomous drones and closed-circuit cameras with deep-learning algorithms, the platform detects animal movements, predicts potential travel corridors and alerts local authorities the instant a boar crosses into high-risk zones. The initiative represents a fundamental shift in urban wildlife management. Historically, local officials have relied on emergency reporting after boars are spotted near homes, parks or roads — a reactive approach that leaves little time for prevention. Seoul’s fire headquarters logged nearly 500 wild boar dispatches in 2025