In India, millions of people live alongside Asian elephants. Generally, they interact peacefully. But sometimes encounters can turn deadly.  

The stakes are particularly high in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Between 1994 and 2013, 41 people there lost their lives in encounters with elephants. But now, new technology is helping prevent such deaths: An early warning system texts residents if elephants are near.

The system is good for elephants, too, says M. Ananda Kumar, a scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation in Valparai, Tamil Nadu. Although elephants are legally protected in India, that hasn’t stopped people from retaliating after loved ones are trampled or houses are damaged.

In the last 18 months, there have been