The northeastern Indian state of Assam has introduced a mobile app aimed at reducing dangerous encounters between humans and wild elephants. This initiative is part of an effort to minimize conflicts that have been increasing due to the shrinking habitats and corridors of these majestic animals as urban development expands.
Developed by Aaranyak, an Assam-based conservation group, the app—named HaatiApp—monitors the movements of wild elephant herds and alerts users when they are at risk of a collision. The app also allows users to report elephant sightings, injuries, deaths, and damages to crops and property. Additionally, it includes a form for victims to request compensation from government agencies.
Human-elephant conflicts in Assam have led to over 200 elephant deaths and around 400 human fatalities from 2017 to 2022, according to Aaranyak. The organization highlights that rapid population growth and poverty have driven humans to expand into elephant habitats, resulting in more aggressive behavior from the animals.
“The app will serve as an early warning system to help villagers avoid dangerous interactions with wild elephants,” Aaranyak stated in a Facebook post following the app’s launch this month.
In conjunction with the app, Aaranyak has also published a handbook on using solar-powered fences to prevent elephants from encroaching on human settlements and property.
Assam, known for its extensive agriculture and wildlife sanctuaries, is home to the second-largest elephant population in India—5,700—surpassed only by Karnataka, which houses over 6,000 elephants. The state also provides refuge to critically endangered species such as the Asian elephant and the Indian one-horned rhinoceros.
