The state of Assam, in northeastern India, has launched a mobile app that warns people of incoming herds of wild elephants in an effort to reduce violent encounters between humans and the land giants, NBC News reports.
Developed by Aaranyak, an Assam-based conservation society, the app, named HaatiApp, tracks the movements of wild elephant herds and warns users if they get close to a collision.
The app also lets residents report elephant sightings, injuries and deaths, as well as crop and property damages, and includes a form that victims can use to seek compensation from government entities in Aaranyak.
Human-elephant conflicts in the state caused more than 200 elephant deaths and 400 human deaths from 2017 to 2022, the organization reported.