Elephant Census, Status of Elephant in India 2022-23 Report

Elephant Census, Key Findings of Status of Elephant in India 2022-23 Report

The Elephant Census is conducted every 5 Years in India. Check this article to get the Key Findings from the Report of Status of Elephants in India 2022-23

Table of Contents

The “Status of Elephant in India 2022-23” report by the Environment Ministry highlights a declining elephant population. Its release is delayed due to pending census data from northeastern states.

Key Findings from the Report of Status of Elephants in India 2022-23

Population Decline:
- The report indicates a 20% drop in the overall elephant population compared to 5 years ago.
- The Central Indian and Eastern Ghats regions experienced an alarming 41% decline since 2017.
- Specific states reported significant losses:
  - Southern West Bengal: 84%
  - Jharkhand: 68%
  - Orissa: 54%
Threats Identified:
- Rapid expansion of projects such as unregulated mining and infrastructure development.
- Increased human-elephant conflicts.
- Other threats include poaching, railway collisions and electrocution.

Elephant Census in India

Conducted every 5 Years.
Conducted by: Wildlife Institute of India (Autonomous body under MoEFCC)
Methodology Used: DNA Profiling & Camera Traps

Facts

● There are 3 species of elephants in the world:
○ African savanna elephant
○ African forest elephant
○ Asian elephant
● Only some male Asian elephants have tusks, whereas in African elephants both male and female have tusks.
● India is home to 60% of the Asian elephant population.
● There are 33 Elephant Reserves in India. (Newest being Terai Elephant Reserve (TER) in Dudhwa-Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh)
● As per the Elephant Census conducted in 2017, Karnataka has the highest number of elephants (6,049), followed by Assam (5,719) and Kerala (3,054), respectively.

Asian Elephants

3 subspecies – Indian, Sumatran, and Sri Lankan
Protection Status of Asian Elephants
- IUCN Red List: Endangered.
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.
- CITES: Appendix I

Characteristics

The largest terrestrial mammal on the Asian continent.
The largest and oldest female elephant herd member is in charge (known as the matriarch) of the herd.
Elephants’ gestation (pregnancy) period, which can last up to 680 days (22 months), is the longest known gestational period among any mammals.
Females between the ages of 14 and 45 may give birth to calves every 4 years on average, increasing to 5 years by age 52 and 6 years by age 60.
Elephant herd sizes in Asia are far smaller than those of African savannah elephants.

UPSC PYQ

Q. With reference to Indian elephants, consider the following statements: (2020)