Shaman I: Pioneering Smart Anti-Poaching Solutions in Jungle
- Caroline Frisby
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
By: Caroline Frisby and Angelina Kondrat
Behind Shaman I, the Universal Translator for Sentinel Species, is a larger movement to transform how conservationists understand and protect wildlife. The idea that the forest can communicate—and that technology can help interpret its signals—has become a guiding principle across KwF’s field projects.
The initiative’s leadership emphasizes that giving rangers early-warning tools is not just about innovation; it’s about shifting the balance back in favor of wildlife. “Every ecosystem has a voice, and when we learn to listen, we can protect it before harm arrives,” says Aliyah Pandolfi, Executive Director of Kashmir World Foundation. “Shaman I is part of a future where the rainforest becomes its own alert system; where the environment itself defends the species that rely on it.”
Her vision centers on accessible, scalable tools that allow rangers and communities to work with nature rather than against its limitations. Shaman I embodies that philosophy: simple in concept, resilient in design, and built for real-world impact. For more, please read A Closer Look into Shaman I: The Universal Translator.
Now, let’s step into the rainforest…
The river gurgled as the Ranger treaded through the shallow water. On the other side, the riverbed sloshed beneath his boots. He straightened his hat as he squinted at his GPS, verifying his exact location. Continuing his route, he trudged uphill, eyes and ears alert to the sounds of the wild.
After a few moments’ climb, he paused to catch his breath and peered down through the small gaps in the rainforest curtain. A moment later, he heard a thunderous BANG followed by startled screeching. He felt a jolting sensation in his chest and scrambled down the slope. When he made it into the clearing, he saw something shiny glare up at him from the ground. He turned it over in his hand—it was a shell casing.
Scenes like this illustrate why traditional monitoring methods—on-the-ground patrols and camera traps—struggle to prevent poaching in challenging terrain. The Universal Translator for Sentinel Species (UTSS), also called Shaman I, was envisioned by Aliyah Pandolfi as a tool to help rangers and conservationists detect human intrusion and support broader conservation efforts.
In Fall 2025, KwF launched the Mechatronics Team to advance the project, led by Dominic Hoff, a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Colorado Boulder, and supported by Sean Liu, Ryu Brandt, and Kyle Saiki. As team lead, Dominic focuses on big-picture systems integration and workflow, ensuring that all components—from hardware to mesh network—work together seamlessly. “We needed something that could reliably operate in dense jungle environments, work off the grid, and actually give conservationists actionable intelligence in real time,” he explains. Dominic hopes Shaman I becomes a long-term, sustainable solution for counter-poaching worldwide, combining practical engineering with meaningful environmental impact.
The rainforest is an incredibly challenging environment for monitoring. Foot patrols cover limited ground, commercial drones struggle above and under dense canopies, and camera traps only capture close-range activity. Existing acoustic sensors are often expensive, power-hungry, or unable to process data in real time. Heavy rainfall, high humidity, and extreme heat further complicate efforts.
Ryu Brandt, a Mechatronics Team Member at KwF and a junior studying Cybersecurity at George Mason University, focuses on the security and protection of the Shaman I system. “Understanding how to implement this idea in the real world was the hardest part,” he reflects. He works to safeguard both devices and data from potentially harmful actors, ensuring that AI and sensor networks function reliably in harsh rainforest conditions. Motivated by conservation, Ryu says, “I hope that Shaman I can help prevent even one illegal death of an animal in Costa Rica—then I feel like our work would be worth it.” He also notes the broader impact: “This project shows that technology can aid conservation, not just industry, and it provides tools for conservationists to analyze data more deeply.” Beyond the technical work, Ryu emphasizes the value of teamwork and collaboration, explaining that Shaman I has taught him how to document processes, communicate effectively, and work across disciplines—skills that school alone doesn’t teach.
The Shaman I system is tackling the most critical challenge in rainforest conservation: real-time threat detection. Daan Eeltink, Director of AI Operations at KwF and a student at Leiden University in the Netherlands, oversees the integration of AI technology, mesh networking, hardware, software, and NLP processing into a cohesive, functional system. “My role is to make sure all the components of the UTSS talk to each other,” Daan explains. “Raw data from the forest only becomes actionable when it’s integrated properly. That’s what allows rangers to respond immediately to threats.” His work ensures that Shaman I can transform the vocalizations of sentinel species into real-time intelligence, providing rangers and conservationists with actionable alerts before poachers or illegal loggers can cause harm.
The hardware modules need to be robust and field-ready. Sensors capture sound, movement, temperature, and humidity, while cameras provide visual confirmation. Sean Liu, a senior at the University of Colorado Boulder double-majoring in Biochemistry and Mathematics and a Mechatronics Team Member at KwF, emphasizes the importance of careful component selection: “Every part needs to work seamlessly with the AI and mesh network. Conservation depends on reliable, real-time information, and we want rangers to trust the system implicitly.” He oversees microelectronic selection, test planning, and audio data analysis, ensuring that each component integrates smoothly and functions reliably under the challenging conditions of the rainforest. “Learning to communicate in a team working on a real-world project has been my biggest takeaway,” Sean adds. “This is the first time I’m applying skills to projects intended for meaningful impact, not just theoretical exercises.”
Kyle Saiki, an Embedded Systems Intern at KwF and a senior studying computer science at San Jose State University, focuses on preparing the Shaman units for field tests and ensuring the mesh network functions reliably in real-world conditions. “I want it to be a technology that people actually use and that makes a difference,” he says. Testing in remote environments can be challenging, especially with the team spread across different time zones, but Kyle notes, “The Shaman I team works really hard to make sure everything is communicated to each other.” He also highlights the broader impact of the project: “Shaman I is much cheaper than alternative solutions, making anti-poaching surveillance more accessible.”
Supporting Kyle on the mesh network is Jannuel Lauro T. Dizon—known as Ylo—a recent graduate from Ateneo De Manila University in the Philippines with a degree in Computer Engineering and an Embedded Systems Intern at KwF. Ylo focuses on implementing the LoRa-based mesh network that allows Shaman I devices to communicate seamlessly across the rainforest. “I hope that the Shaman I’s mesh network communication will work perfectly once we’ve finished developing it,” he says. Despite joining the team after a short climbing trip in Nepal, he quickly caught up on ongoing development and emphasized a core lesson from the project: “Technology does not have to only be beneficial to us humans, but it can also be used for the benefit of nature.”
By integrating AI-driven edge computing with hands-on field expertise and robust hardware, Shaman I can analyze sentinel species’ vocalizations in real time, classify human activity, and instantly alert rangers. This cohesive approach, orchestrated by Daan, positions Shaman I as a transformative tool for anti-poaching and conservation initiatives worldwide.
For Pandolfi, Shaman I is more than a technological breakthrough—it is a gateway to a new vision for conservation and education. “Every ecosystem has a voice, and when we learn to listen, we can protect it before harm arrives,” she says. But just as important as the technology itself is the way students and young collaborators from around the world engage with it. Pandolfi envisions teams of students working across borders, learning not only to protect endangered species, but also to solve complex global problems together. These hands-on experiences teach them how to innovate, collaborate, and take responsibility in real-world contexts—skills that will shape the future leaders of conservation, science, and technology.
In Pandolfi’s vision, Shaman I is a symbol of a world where borders do not divide us, but unite us in a shared mission: to help, protect, and support one another and the planet. By combining cutting-edge technology with mentorship, global teamwork, and experiential learning, KwF is creating a future where wildlife thrives and young people are empowered to take meaningful action, proving that collaboration across nations and disciplines can create solutions that benefit both humanity and the natural world.
