World Elephant Day 2025: India’s elephant conservation facts
Why in the news
World Elephant Day, which dates from 12 August 2012, was observed in Coimbatore on 12 August 2025, with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change spotlighting human-elephant conflict.
Key facts
- Share: India holds over 60% of wild Asian elephants, about 28,000 to 30,000 spread over four regions.
- Trend: numbers rose from 27,669-27,719 in 2007 to 29,964 in 2017.
- Reserves and corridors: 33 Elephant Reserves across 14 states; 150 corridors validated on the ground across 15 states.
- Rail deaths: 186 elephants died in train collisions in 2009-2024.
- Conflict: 400 to 500 human deaths a year, and over 60 elephant deaths in retaliation.
Numbers at a glance
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Elephant Reserves | 33 in 14 states |
| Corridors | 150 in 15 states |
| Population (2017) | 29,964 |
| Train deaths 2009-2024 | 186 |
About conservation
Project Elephant began in 1992 as a centrally sponsored scheme and was merged with Project Tiger in FY 2023-24. The Asian elephant is Endangered on the IUCN Red List, in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and in CITES Appendix I. Main conflict zones include Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala and Uttarakhand.
Exam angle
- Memorise 33 reserves, 14 states, 150 corridors, 15 states.
- Project Elephant started in 1992.
- Know the legal status: Schedule I, CITES Appendix I.