Elephant deaths after being electrocuted or hit by moving trains have become far too common in the recent past, with Assam state registering 40 deaths in the last 100 days. This triggered the creation of a Whatsapp group that constantly tracks elephant movements and keeps multiple government departments updated.

Recently when a herd of 150 elephants crossed NH 39 and reached Kampur in Nagaon district of Guwahati on Thursday night, the group sprung into action and sent a flurry of messages that avoided an untoward incident of elephants being mowed down by trains or getting electrocuted.

The WhatsApp group is named 'Elephant Movement Monitor' and it has representatives from the railways, forest department and Assam Power Distribution Company. When they sense danger fot the pachyderms, they update multiple government departments about the exact locations and movements of the herd and thus, save the lives of the jumbos.

Nagaon territorial forest divisional officer , Suvashish Das said that as soon as they get the alerts, the officials of the power company promptly shut down a feeder line and the railways impose the speed restriction of 30 kmph for trains along the route where elephants are expected.

He added that the forest department then get busy in trying to prevent the herd from moving further towards the railway tracks. Their perfect coordination have helped prevent many elephant deaths.