Arya News - While India remains home to about 60 per cent of the world’s wild Asian elephants, official data and research show that the challenge is no longer simply about counting elephants but about ensuring that they have enough connected habitat to survive.
NEW DELHI – For generations, elephants have remained an integral part of India’s rich natural and cultural heritage, as they continue to inspire generations with their strength, intelligence and social bonds. Holding profound sacred significance in the Hindu religion, particularly exemplified through Lord Ganesha, elephants have moved through India’s forests along routes shaped long before roads and expanding settlements changed the landscape. In today’s modern age, those paths are increasingly intersected by infrastructure and human habitation, forcing elephants into an increasingly fragmented world.
While India remains home to about 60 per cent of the world’s wild Asian elephants, official data and researches show how the challenge is no longer simply about counting elephants and rather about ensuring that they have enough connected habitat to survive.
Elephants population in India
The Synchronous All India Population Estimation of Elephants (SAIEE) 2021–25 has estimated the country’s wild elephant population at 22,446. These are protected across 33 Elephant Reserves and 150 identified corridors.
As per the official data shared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in Parliament, the elephant population was estimated as 29,964 in 2017, while it stood in the range of 29,391-30,711 in 2012.
“We celebrate Ganesh Puja. Admirable. But we poach elephants ‘18% fewer elephants in 9 years’ is a wake-up call to the government,” former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram wrote on X.
It must be noted that the two figures were generated using different methodologies, with the latest exercise being India’s first nationwide DNA-based elephant estimation that used genetic sampling and spatial capture-recapture modelling.
However, what is clearer from the official research is the growing pressure on elephant habitats.
According to Elephant Corridors of India, 2023, prepared with technical support from the Wildlife Institute of India, there are about 150 elephant corridors across the country. The East-Central region has 52 corridors, followed by the North-East (48), Southern (32) and Northern (18) regions.
Among these, elephant use increased in 59 corridors, remained stable in 29, declined in 29, while 15 corridors were classified as impaired and requiring restoration. Also, the report identified 19 interstate and six transnational corridors, highlighting how elephant movement frequently extends beyond administrative boundaries.
Key challenges
Researches have identified expansion of human settlements and agricultural fields as factors contributing to habitat loss, degraded forage and reduced landscape connectivity. As habitats become fragmented, elephants are pushed into closer contact with people, which significantly increases the potential for crop damage, property loss and casualties on both sides.
Infrastructure is considered another major challenge.
Marking the World Elephant Day on August 12, the central government highlighted how it has taken decisive steps to reduce elephant deaths along railway corridors.
“Joint surveys covered 127 sensitive railway stretches spanning 3,452.4 km. Further, 77 stretches across 14 States, covering 1,965.2 km, have been recommended for mitigation measures involving 705 structures, including underpasses, overpasses, ramps, level crossings and bridge modifications. These structural interventions are being complemented by technologies such as optical-fibre-based intrusion detection, seismic sensors and thermal cameras.” it stated.
Notably, elephant deaths caused by train collisions fell from 26 in 2013 to 12 in 2024.