Government research: ‘only 22,500 specimens live in the country’
A significant decline in the Asian elephant population in India is reported in government-commissioned research from the Wildlife Institute of India, so far the most accurate ever conducted in the country. According to the study, since 2017 the number of elephants has decreased by 25%, going from 29,964 then to 22,446 today. Indian Asian elephants, already considered at risk by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), constitute the largest group of this species in the world and are threatened by the increasing shrinkage of their habitats.
Research reveals that elephants today occupy just 3.5 percent of the territories where they historically lived. The most populated area of the country is that of the Western Ghats, the hilly territory that extends between the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, which are home to 12 thousand elephants. Another group of around 6500 specimens lives in the north-east, in Assam, in the flat areas of the Brahmaputra. The research suggests that “to ensure the well-being of these gentle giants” it is necessary to strengthen the corridors that allow them to move safely between one habitat and another, increase protection, and mitigate the impact of new infrastructure on their living conditions.
