Current Status of Asian Elephants in India

India holds by far the largest number of wild Asian elephants, estimated at about 26,000 to 28,000 or nearly 60% of the population of the species (Bist 2002; data from Project Elephant Directorate in 2011). Elephas maximus is placed in Schedule I and Part I of Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972) conferring it the highest level of protection. Historically, the significance of the elephant in Indian culture and mythology, as well as its economic and military role in subcontinental armies, has also contributed to a remarkable level of tolerance and support of people towards its survival and conservation (Sukumar 2011). However, the resource needs of a growing human population (over 1.2 billion people: Census 2011) of a country experiencing strong economic growth, growing and dispersing elephant populations at regional scales, shrinkage and fragmentation of elephant habitat, and increasing human-elephant conflicts emphasize the urgent need for appropriate long-term policies to manage and conserve the species.