World Elephant Day: India Is Losing More Elephants To Electrocution And Trains Than Poaching
World Elephant Day: India Is Losing More Elephants To Electrocution And
Trains Than Poaching
Bobins Abraham, India Times
August 12, 2022
See link
https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/world-elephant-day-india-elephants-electrocution-trains-poaching-577040.html
for photos.
Elephant Population in India
India is home to the largest number of Asiatic Elephants, accounting for
nearly 60% of the jumbo population.
According to a 2017 estimate, India had a total of 29,964 wild elephants.
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh
and Maharashtra accounted for the highest population — 14,612 elephants
while Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, the north
region of West Bengal, Manipur and Mizoram was home to 10,139 elephants.
Among the states, Karnataka had the highest wild elephant count in India at
6,049 followed by Assam at 5,719, Kerala at 5,706, and Tamil Nadu - at
2,761.
Wild Elephants Under Threat in India
Even in India, which has 32 elephant reserves, their population in the wild
is declining and mostly human activities are being blamed for it.
In December 2021, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change (MoEFCC) had said that in the ten years between 2010-2020 a total of
1,160 elephants were killed in India due to reasons other than natural
causes.
More Elephants Die Due to Electrocution Than Poaching
Out of this, electrocution accounted for more than half of the unnatural
deaths.
While a total of 741 elephants were killed after coming into touch with
live wires, 186 jumbos lost their lives on railway tracks.
This in fact, is higher than the number of elephants killed by poachers in
the same period, which is 169. Poisoning is the next major cause of
unnatural elephant deaths in the wild - 64.
Karnataka and Odisha recorded the maximum number of elephant deaths by
electrocution - 133, followed by Assam at 129.
Assam had the highest number of elephant deaths due to train hits with 62
deaths, followed by West Bengal at 57.
Assam reported the highest number of elephants poisoned - 32, and Odisha
stood second with 15 deaths.
245 Unnatural Deaths in Three Years in Odisha
In recent years, Odisha has emerged as a major concern with the state
recording a total of 245 wild elephant deaths due to unnatural causes in
three years.
In July, Santosh Singh Saluja MLA from Kantabanji in Bolangir district told
the Odisha Assembly that a total of 784 elephants had died in the past 10
years due to unnatural causes like road and rail accidents, poaching, and
electrocution. 82 jumbos died in 2019-20, while 77 died in 2020-21 and 86
in 2021-22.