Dhawalpur: In the heart of central India, the forests of Chhattisgarh have become a testing ground for a breakthrough initiative aimed at mitigating deadly encounters between humans and elephants. Since the launch of a sophisticated elephant tracking alert system in February 2023, the frequency of fatal elephant tramplings in the region has sharply declined, signaling a promising advancement in wildlife conflict management.
At the core of this initiative are community trackers who meticulously observe elephant movement signs—such as footprints, dung, and auditory cues—and input these data into a mobile application developed by the Indian technology firm Kalpvaig. This application processes the information and promptly sends alerts to villagers residing near the detected elephant herds, enabling them to take necessary precautions before the animals approach their settlements.
India hosts the majority of the world’s fewer than 50,000 wild Asian elephants, but expanding human settlements and intensified mining activities for minerals like coal, iron ore, and bauxite have led to increased overlap between human and elephant habitats. These pressures are particularly acute in Chhattisgarh, which, despite harboring only about 1% of India’s wild elephant population, has accounted for 15% of elephant-related human fatalities in the past five years.
The alert system’s impact is evident. In the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve region, elephant-related deaths dropped from five in 2022—prior to the app’s deployment—to just one recorded fatality since its implementation. Villagers registered with the program receive calls and text messages whenever elephants come within a five-kilometer radius. Additionally, loudspeaker announcements serve as a secondary measure to ensure community-wide awareness.
Officials emphasize that this approach outperforms previous strategies such as radio collars, which elephants often remove within months. Instead, real-time updates through the app provide early warnings that effectively prevent dangerous encounters, particularly from solitary male elephants in musth, who are responsible for the majority of human casualties.
While communities acknowledge the system’s life-saving benefits, tensions remain due to crop destruction and livelihood disruptions caused by elephants. Authorities are concurrently working to enhance elephant habitats to minimize their movement into human areas. The integration of technology with local engagement is a critical step toward harmonizing coexistence between people and these majestic yet vulnerable creatures.
