The state of Assam in India has introduced a mobile app designed to reduce deaths caused by wild elephants. The Haati app will alert users to approaching herds, allowing them to move to safety.
Assam, home to one of India’s largest elephant populations, faces a high incidence of conflicts between elephants and humans. Conservationists attribute the increase in elephant aggression to shrinking habitats and encroachment on traditional natural corridors.
Official data cited by the Hindustan Times in March indicates that 1,701 people were killed by elephants in India between 2020 and 2024.
Developed by Aaranyak, a biodiversity organization in northeastern India, the Haati app also features a form for victims and their families to apply for compensation from the local government in cases of injury or death caused by elephant attacks.
Additionally, Aaranyak has released a handbook on solar-powered fences designed to deter elephants.
According to wildlife charity WWF, fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild, and approximately half a million families in India are affected by crop-raiding elephants each year.
