India’s 2022–23 Elephant Census shows a 20% population decline, with infrastructure projects and habitat loss driving severe regional drops, especially in Kerala.
India, which hosts one of the biggest populations of Asian elephants globally, has seen a tragic loss of 1,381 elephants from 2009 to 2023 due to unnatural reasons such as electrocution and poisoning.
A new Union Environment Ministry report states that there are at least 150 elephant corridors spanning 15 range-states across four elephant-bearing regions in India, with West Bengal topping the list with 26 such land strips.
A recent study conducted using a unique dataset modelling land use changes over 13 centuries has revealed that the Asian elephant's historic habitat range has decreased by more than 3 million square kilometres in the past three centuries.
India is home to about 27,000 elephants, which is the world’s largest species population. Project Elephant is a central government-sponsored scheme that aims to protect elephants in India.