On Saturday & Sunday, 9th & 10th November, 2019, Zoohackathon 2019 - A tech challenge to find technology driven solutions for fighting wildlife crime - in Kolkata, organized by U.S. Consulate General Kolkata, TRAFFIC and WWF-India, and The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry at The Bengal Chamber premises.

Sixteen teams, each having two to six members, comprising students of higher educational institutes and working professionals, demonstrated tech-based solutions to stop wildlife trafficking got five minutes to present their project before the jury panel. New Delhi was the first Indian city to host such an event in November 2017, while it is being held for the first time in the eastern metropolis. The Zoohackathon, which had started in 2016, is a global tech challenge to find technology-driven solutions to combat wildlife trafficking and this event was part of that initiative.

The participating teams developed solutions to help detect traffickers and educate the public through mobile apps and other software. At the end of the Zoohackathon, teams presented their solutions to the panel of jury. The Zoohackathon, being held all over the world, aims to brings together students of higher educational institutes and wildlife enthusiasts. Each team is given 48 hours each to develop technology-based solutions to address wildlife trafficking challenges. The event is being organized in 16 cities, including Kolkata and New Delhi, across 14 different countries this year.

The team "Pineapples" which comprised a group of students from St. Thomas College of Engineering and Technology, Kolkata was named as the Champions of Zoohackathon 2019 of Kolkata edition. "Data Sutram", an AI-driven startup was named as the Runners-up.