India launches app to reduce wild elephant deaths

The northeastern Indian state of Assam has launched a mobile phone app that warns people of approaching herds of wild elephants in an effort to reduce violent clashes between humans and the land giants.

Conflict between people and elephants is common in India and has increased in recent years as elephants become more aggressive as urban development shrinks their habitats and natural corridors.

The app, called HaatiApp, was developed by Assam-based conservation society Aaranyak and tracks the movements of wild elephant herds and warns users when they are close to a collision.

Human-elephant conflict in the state has led to More than 200 elephants died The organization reports that 400 people will die from the disease worldwide between 2017 and 2022.

“Driven by a combination of population growth and poverty, humans are expanding their frontiers, while animals are finding the jungle shrinking.”

The app also allows residents to report elephant sightings, injuries, deaths, and crop and property damage, and contains forms that victims can use to seek compensation from Aranyakka government agencies.

“The app will act as an early warning system for the presence of wild elephants near human settlements to help villagers avoid negative encounters with wild elephants,” Aaranyak said in a statement. Facebook Post The app was launched this month.

Along with the launch of the app, Aranyake also released a manual with information on using solar fencing to keep elephants away from people and property.

Assam is also known for its vast agricultural sector and numerous wildlife sanctuaries, where endangered animals such as the Asian elephant and the Indian one-horned rhino have sought refuge.

The state has the second-largest elephant population in India, totaling 5,700, after the southwestern state of Karnataka, which has more than 6,000 elephants.