Conflict between elephants and humans is a growing, and potentially deadly, problem in some parts of India. Now, the state of Assam, a northeastern region famous for its rolling tea plantations, has launched a mobile app that alerts villagers of approaching herds in an effort to reduce the risk of catastrophic encounters. While estimates vary, such conflicts in the state led to more than 200 elephant deaths and 400 human deaths from 2017 to 2022, according to data from Aaranyak, a local conservationist group that developed the “Haati App” or “Elephant App” in collaboration with the Assam government. The app is designed to give villagers and farmers a vital heads-up when wild elephants are close to human settlements, aiming to help people avoid dangerous encounters. “Fueled by a combination of a population boom and poverty, man has expanded his frontiers, while animals have found their jungles shrinking,” said Aaranyak, which…
