Assam: an app to promote coexistence between humans and elephants
Called Haati, it monitors pachyderm movements. Between 2020 and 2024, more than 1,700 people across India were killed by elephants. Due to habitat loss, animals are increasingly invading fields and locals are using electricity to drive them away, sometimes causing their death.
Guwahati (AsiaNews/Agencies) – An organisation that seeks to protect biodiversity has developed an app to monitor elephant movements and reduce human mortality from human-elephant conflict (HEC).
Between 2020 and 2024, more than 1,700 people were killed by elephants across India; according to World Wildlife Federation, at least half a million families have experienced crop-raiding by pachyderms.
It is estimated that less than 50,000 Asian elephants still live in the wild, many in the eastern Indian state of Assam, where the application called "Haati" (elephant in Assamese) was launched on Saturday.
Aaranyak, the organisation that developed the app, said that the movements of elephant herds will be reported directly on the mobile phone to reduce interactions between humans and animals, who are increasingly aggressive due to natural habitat loss.
The app also contains a form to claim compensation from the local government in case of damage caused by elephants.
“We will submit the filled-up ex-gratia application form to the forest division concerned on behalf of the victims of human-elephant conflicts to compliment the Assam Forest Department’s efforts to pay compensation,” said Bibhuti P Lahkar, head of Aaranyak’s Elephant Research and Conservation Division (ERCD).
“Once they install the app on their phones, they’ll have access to a large contact, and whenever they see elephants in their area, they can update the forest department about it quickly. This will help the people to be aware and the officials to take immediate action,” he added.
Aaranyak has also published a manual in Assamese on solar-powered electric fences to keep animals away from crops and homes, with detailed information on installation, management and maintenance procedures.
During the app’s presentation in Guwahati, Nandita Gorlosa, Assam's Minister for Power, Sports and Youth, said that the state plans to raise awareness in the local population to prevent the electrocution of wild elephants through the use of illegal power connections.
“The common people in some of the HEC hotspots use illegal electric power connections against wild elephants out of fear, which sometimes leads to the death of elephants. With the help of these two techniques, we can reduce such incidents,” she said.
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21/06/2019 10:17
