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Status of Elephants in India – 2025 Report (WII)

19 Oct 2025 GS 3 Environment
Status of Elephants in India – 2025 Report (WII) Click to view full image

The Wildlife Institute of India released the first-ever DNA-based synchronous estimation of elephants across the country

1. Background

  • Released by: Wildlife Institute of India (WII) on October 14, 2025.

  • Based on: Synchronous All-India Elephant Estimation (SAIEE) 2021–25.

  • Estimate: 22,446 elephants across four landscapes.

  • Previous estimate (2017): 29,964 elephants.

  • Note: The decline cannot be directly compared due to change in methodology — the new DNA-based method serves as a fresh baseline for future estimates.

Almost 60% of India’s elephants are in Karnataka, Assam, Tamil Nadu

2. Evolution of Elephant Census in India

Period

Method Used

Remarks

1929–1978

Direct total count

Visual counts, averaged across 10-day intervals.

1992 (Project Elephant)

Multi-method (total count, tracking, registration, dung count, waterhole count, etc.)

Introduced systematic population monitoring.

2005–2017

Synchronised Elephant Census

Used total count, sample block count, dung count, and waterhole count.

2021–25 (SAIEE)

DNA-based dung analysis + spatial mapping

Standardized national framework eliminating regional bias.

3. SAIEE 2021–25 Methodology

  • Country divided into 100 sq. km cells, further into 4 sq. km grids, each uniquely coded for consistent tracking.

  • Enumerators covered:

    • 6,66,977 km on foot.

    • 1,88,030 transects and trails.

    • Collected 21,056 dung samples.

  • Conducted in 3 phases:

    1. Phase I: Data on animal signs, ungulate abundance, vegetation, human disturbance.

    2. Phase II: Habitat & anthropogenic impacts (vegetation cover, patch size, human footprint).

    3. Phase III: Spatial abundance estimation integrating human and habitat variables.

4. Regional Distribution of Elephants (2025)

Landscape

States Covered

Elephants

Share (%)

Key State

Western Ghats

Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu

11,934

53.17%

Karnataka (6,013)

Karnataka led the chart with 6,013 elephants, followed by Tamil Nadu with 3,136 and Kerala with 2,785 elephants

Northeast Hills & Brahmaputra Floodplains

NE States + N. West Bengal

4,990

22.22%

Assam (4,159)

Assam topped the table here with 4,159 elephants.

Shivalik Hills & Gangetic Plains

Uttarakhand, U.P., Bihar

2,061

9.18%

Uttarakhand (1,792)

Central India & Eastern Ghats

Odisha, A.P., Maharashtra, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, S. W.B.

1,890

8.42%

Odisha (912)

5. Key Findings & Concerns

  • Habitat fragmentation from:

    • Expansion of coffee & tea plantations.

    • Invasive plant species.

    • Fencing of farmlands & mining.

    • Infrastructure and developmental projects.

  • Migration and conflict:

    • Elephants have re-entered areas (e.g., Andhra Pradesh) after 200 years.

    • Migratory herds from Tamil Nadu & Karnataka (1980–86) led to new human-elephant conflict zones.

  • Conflict hotspots:

    • Karnataka: Bandipur–Nagarhole–BRT region (fires, eucalyptus/acacia plantations).

    • Kerala: High conflict intensity in forest–farm interfaces.

    • Tamil Nadu: Nilgiris–Coimbatore Division — 150 human & 170 elephant deaths recorded.

6. Conservation Implications

  • Need for community sensitisation in both traditional and new elephant zones.

  • Integration of local communities in mitigation and compensation schemes.

  • Scientific management using DNA-based tracking for long-term monitoring.

  • Landscape-level planning to ensure elephant corridors and reduce fragmentation.



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