The Indian state of Assam has introduced a new mobile app, Haati, designed to reduce human-elephant conflict by alerting users to approaching elephant herds. The state, home to one of India’s largest elephant populations, faces frequent deadly encounters between elephants and humans, largely due to habitat loss and encroachment.
Developed by the north-east India-based biodiversity organization Aaranyak, the app provides warnings to help people avoid elephant herds and includes a form for victims to claim compensation from the local government for injuries or deaths caused by elephants. In addition, Aaranyak has released a handbook on solar-powered fences to deter elephants.
According to official data cited by the Hindustan Times, 1,701 people were killed by elephants in India from 2020 to 2024. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild, with crop-raiding incidents affecting around half a million families annually.
