App that alerts humans to movement of wild elephants launched in India [Video]

A northeastern state in India has launched a mobile app aimed at mitigating human-elephant conflict by alerting people to the movement of these animals around them.

The Haathi (elephant in Hindi) app, designed by local biodiversity conservation group Aaranyak in Assam, was launched over the weekend by the state’s cabinet minister for power, sports and youth welfare, Nandita Gorlosa.

The app is aimed at sharing early warning about the movement of wild elephants to help villagers avoid negative interface with the wild animals, said Aaranyak’s senior conservation scientist and the head of elephant research and conservation division, Bibhuti P Lahkar.

“The app will also have the ex-gratia application forms against damages caused due to depredition by wild elephants,” he was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.

Explaining the function of the app, …