Elephants are an integral part of rich biodiversity and can rightly be called ecosystem engineers, for they help maintain forests for other species. As they trample through dense forests and grasslands, they make pathways in the habitat which allows passage for other animals and helps their co-existence. Their footprints make dents in the soil which once filled with water become small water holes, providing a home for tadpoles and other organisms. As elephant herds travel over vast lands, they help in seed dispersal through their dung which promotes the growth of greenery. However, this largest of all mammals on earth faces numerous threats to its existence, particularly in India. TreeTake takes a look at recent elephant deaths in India …
The recent death of 11 elephants in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) of Madhya Pradesh last month created a furore, forcing both the authorities concerned and the green brigade to sit up and take notice. Post the tragedy, two forest officials were suspended and the Madhya Pradesh forest department decided to use satellite collars to track the movements of tuskers. The state government also announced several measures, including training of MP foresters in other states which have a high population of elephants.
To recall, on October 29, four wild elephants were found dead in Sankhani and Bakeli under the Khalil range of the BTR in Umaria district, while four died on October 30 and two on October 31. Apart from these, an elephant calf that got separated from the herd and was rescued also died at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) a few days ago. MP additional principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) L Krishnamoorthy told the media that the department had asked Tamil Nadu for two satellite collars which would be put on two jumbos in BTR. He added that satellite collars would be used on all 150 wild elephants in the state. A nine-member elephant advisory committee headed by Krishnamoorthy was also formed to manage tuskers in the state, mainly during their rescue and rehabilitation.
As for the reason for the death, the investigation found that there was neurotoxin cyclopiazonic acid in their viscera. The toxicity was due to the consumption of large quantities of kodo millet plants. It is said the animals fell to the ground and shivered before dying. As per an official, the forest department identified six farmers from whose fields the jumbos ate kodo millets and was probing if any pesticide was mixed or sprayed on the crop. Earlier, veterinarians had suggested chances of the presence of mycotoxins associated with kodo millets. Mycotoxins generate cyclopiazonic acid that causes poisoning in kodo millets. As per wildlife experts, this may be the first instance in the country in which 11 elephants have died within a short span of a few days. Small wonder a team of the Union Environment Ministry’s Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, which investigates wildlife crimes in the country, has been tasked with probing the death of the tuskers.
However, this is not a lone tragedy. In Uttar Pradesh too, there have been jumbo fatalities. On November 12, a 10-12 year-old female elephant was found dead in Neemwali forest area in Najibabad of Bijnor forest division. The viscera was sent to the Indian Institute of Veterinary Sciences (IVRI) Bareilly to ascertain the cause of death. In September this year, foresters exhumed the skeleton of a four-year-old elephant from the field of a farmer in Kaudia range of Najibabad forest division in Meerut. An autopsy was conducted to ascertain the cause of death but the findings are still awaited and the issue swept under the carpet. As per a forest official, farmlands on the fringes of the forest were sometimes protected by livewire fencing and the elephant could have come into contact with such a fence and might have been electrocuted. The scared farmers might have buried it without informing the forest department. Or else it could be a case of hunting or poaching but circumstantial evidence did not support this. To note, the carcass was exhumed after divisional forest officer of Najibabad division Vandana Fogat received an anonymous telephone call telling her that an elephant was buried in a field in Kaudia forest range.
Also in September, an elephant was found dead in a sugarcane field in Tanda Sahowal village, in Sahowala forest range. A broken high-tension electricity wire and pole lying nearby led the flustered foresters to surmise that the jumbo had been electrocuted. This month, an elephant was found dead in a paddy farm in Chhattisgarh’s Balrampur district, while three elephants, including a calf, were electrocuted to death in a forest area in Raigarh district on October 26. An elephant calf died of electrocution in Bilaspur district on November 1. Chhattisgarh has reported the death of around 80 tuskers in the past six years, with the causes ranging from ailments and age to electrocution, as per officials. Taking cognisance, the Chhattisgarh High Court chided the state energy department for negligence after the elephants were electrocuted.
The death of an elephant injured in a temple fire in South India also drew strong protest from PETA. In August this year, the horrific killing of a female elephant in Jhargram by throwing a flaming pointed iron spear at her also sparked outrage from activists. The spear pierced her back, inflicting severe and fatal wounds. In the past few months, four elephants, including a calf, died after being hit by trains in Latehar, Dhenkanal, Rourkela and Morigaon. Four years ago, a pregnant elephant’s death due to consuming explosive-laden fruit in Kerala triggered a near-hate campaign and hogged international attention. The list is endless but the crux of the matter is—India is losing too many of its elephants.
Retd senior forester Ahsan said: “It is true that elephants have been dying of electrocution, train hits, and other reasons over the years, even in places like Corbett Park. Once when I was posted there, six had died together. It was very unfortunate. But the problem stems from the fact that there is no corridor left for elephants. For example, there is a railway line between Haridwar and Dehradun and here in Dudhwa, which means there is a problem of safe passage. Elephants want to go from one place to another for their requirements but there is no corridor. In Dehradun, there is a railway line, a highway, and even an irrigation canal between their habitat. Earlier, there was no awareness that a corridor should be left for the safe passage of elephants and ecology did not find centre stage in the 1950s and ’60s so these things came up. But now, thankfully, there is increasing awareness. Two years ago I went to Ranthambhor and found underpasses for elephants. Some other states are also taking measures. But basically, fragmented habitat limits an elephant from satisfying its basic requirement of food and water and so it turns towards villages. Now, there it may come across live wire fencing which I do not know is legal or not. Elephants are also susceptible to poaching. But more than UP, the problem is in Jharkhand and North-East. But now there is awareness about giving them safe passage. In Corbett, a 6-ft wall has been made to prevent elephants from going to fields. So, more such measures will have to be taken. Let us be optimistic that we will be able to save our elephant population from declining further.”
Prof Amita Kannaujia of the zoology department of Lucknow University said: “It is sad that despite a lot of legal protection to elephants due to being Schedule 1 animals, there are various major threats to this species, including man-animal conflict. Shrinkage of habitat and few wildlife corridors are the prime reasons. Proper monitoring of the elephant population in India and a solution to the above-mentioned issues are the need of the hour.”
Hiraj Laljani of PETA India said: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of 11 elephants in the tiger reserve. The real culprit is the relentless expansion of human activities into forest areas, which leaves wild animals with nowhere to go and nothing to eat. Forests, the natural homes of countless species, are being systematically destroyed to make way for industries, homes for humans, and agricultural lands. For humans and animals, town planning must include forest protection.”
Alarmingly, in the past five years, a large number of elephants have died of unnatural causes, including poaching, poisoning, electrocution, and train accidents and 2,829 people have been killed in encounters with the giant mammals in India. As per data, between 2019 and 2024 (till October), 483 elephants have died in Odisha and 116 in Bengal. This year, till October, Odisha has lost 76 wild elephants—56 of them in the past six months. (Ironically, elephant is the state animal of Odisha). This in itself speaks volumes about the threat the giant mammal is facing all over the country. While forest officials in Lucknow were unavailable for comment, the divisional forest officer of Bahraich told TreeTake that in his area, 12-metre wire mesh fencing had been erected between forests and villages so that the jumbos did not raid crops, there were no conflicts and both humans and animals were not jeopardised in any way.
Elephants iconic in Indian culture
The status of elephants in human culture particularly in Indian culture has been iconic. Elephants are mentioned in art, folklore, religion, and literature. The Indian elephant is a cultural symbol and is revered as a form of Lord Ganesha. Elephants in India symbolize strength, wisdom, and good fortune. Buddhists too revere elephants. Many temples, especially in south India, use elephants in rituals and during festivals. An elephant is also the national heritage animal of India and the national animal of Thailand and Laos.
The largest land mammals on earth, elephants have large flappy ears, huge bodies, and long trunks with which they pick up objects, make trumpeting sounds either as warnings or to greet other elephants, or suck up water for drinking or bathing. Elephants also have extended teeth called tusks (hence the name tusker), used to protect their trunk. They also use tusks to lift and move objects, gather food, and strip bark from trees. They can also be used for defence. During drought, elephants dig holes in the ground with their tusks to find underground water.
A fully mature adult Indian elephant is 6.6 to 9.8 feet tall and can weigh between 2.25 to 5.5 tonnes. Elephants are extremely intelligent and have long memories (perhaps this trait inspired the title of ‘Elephants Can Remember’ by Agatha Christie! They also have complex social structures displaying emotional intelligence. The females live in tight-knit family groups led by elderly matriarchs, while males typically live alone.
Indian elephants are herbivores. They can spend up to 19 hours a day eating as much as 136 kilograms of fruit, grasses, roots, and bark. Elephants are migratory with large home ranges and wander across their forest habitat searching for food, water, and mates.
All this makes them a keystone species—one on which other animals rely for their survival. They help in seed dispersal through their dung and promote vegetation growth by creating clearings and trails that allow more light to reach the forest floor. In short, they play a vital role in the ecosystems in which they live, helping to maintain the biodiversity and ecological health of these regions.
The scientific name for the Indian elephant is Elephas maximus indicus, roughly translating to ‘greatest elephant from India’. Indian elephants are the only Asian elephants that live in mainland Asia. They inhabit dry-thorn forests, moist and dry deciduous forests, tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, as well as cultivated and secondary forests.
They migrate throughout the year in search of vegetation and water, though they do have home ranges too. The size of a range varies based on the number of elephants in the area, as well as the quality and availability of food. The average lifespan of elephants is about 65 years of age or more. The first year of life of an elephant calf is its most crucial as well as vulnerable, with mortality rates crossing 30%.
Why jumbos matter
Being among the most intelligent animals on earth, elephants have large brains and show a wide range of complex behaviours, like problem-solving, tool use, self-awareness, and emotional capabilities. Elephants have strong-knit social structures and equally strong family bonds. They live in matriarchal groups, which are led by an older female. Elephants are also known to show deep empathy and caring for one another. Elephants’ communication is also a rather developed one, and apart from various sounds, they also use body language and low-frequency sounds that can travel over long distances. Due to their long memories, they remember specific locations for water, food, and other resources years after visiting them.
In their natural habitats, elephants shape their environment. They make water holes, clear vegetation and disperse seeds to help green growth which, in turn, affects the whole ecosystem. Elephants are of great cultural significance in many countries. Associated with wisdom, strength, and good luck, they figure in myths, religious practices, and art, particularly in India. Wild elephants can be an essential part of ecotourism too, for they can draw visitors who want to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitats. This can generate revenue for local communities and support conservation efforts. Insights into animal cognition, communication, and social structures can be gained through a study of these animals, helping scientists better understand animal intelligence.
Threats to Indian elephant
Elephants are listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and recognized as a National Heritage Animal of India. This schedule prohibits the hunting and trade of elephants and ivory. It also bans the export of ivory from India. There is an absolute prohibition on the poaching, trafficking, and trading of elephants, inviting a hefty fine and incarceration of up to 7 years. The Ministry of environment and Forests, in partnership with Wildlife Trust of India, launched a campaign Hathi Mere Sathi to increase public awareness and develop friendship between elephants and the local population, to conserve and protect the elephants in India. The rampant retaliatory killing of elephants and human-elephant conflict prompted the government to set up the Elephant Task Force along the lines of the Tiger Task Force. The focus of the Elephant Task Force was to bring pragmatic solutions for the conservation of elephants in the long term. Despite all these measures, elephants in India are still under threat.
Poaching: Illegal wildlife trade and demand for ivory is the biggest threat.
Habitat loss: The burgeoning human population, construction activities for economic development, and encroachment have led to the fragmentation and destruction of elephant habitats. The expansion of agricultural fields, plantations, mining activities, human settlements cropping up everywhere, and activities for infrastructure development have hit the animal hard, depriving it of its natural habitat in many places. Elephants cannot live in a small area. They require habitat ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand square kilometers. As human settlements are increasing, the migration routes of elephants have been greatly obstructed. There are few corridors for their safe passage. With elephant habitats becoming fragmented, jumbo populations are compressed into smaller areas which become over-exploited given the large dietary requirements of elephants. What is more, habitat fragmentation reduces breeding opportunities which decreases elephant populations and limits genetic variability. When the elephants’ food demands are not met in their limited habitat, they raid crops in fields nearby. Crops conveniently provide a large amount of nutritious food in one area, so that a herd can satisfy its hunger for 24 hours after spending seven or eight hours in a field.
Climate change: Rising temperatures are making it harder for vegetation to grow which can lead to food shortages.
Human-elephant conflict: Elephants and humans are increasingly coming into conflict with each other. Elephants raid crops and sometimes encounters with humans turn fatal for one or the other. While elephants are known to trample humans, they also fall prey to retaliatory killings, as shown by the Jhargram incident.
Contaminated water sources: Due to the increasing number of elephant populations in and the areas they inhabit, many elephant populations share limited resources. Overcrowding can lead to contamination of water resources and increased occurrences of parasitic diseases.
Electrocution: A number of jumbos are electrocuted after coming in contact with live wire fencing set up around fields to protect crops. Some of them also come in contact with overhead high-tension electricity lines or even poles.
Train hits: Elephants are often hit by trains while crossing railway tracks. In October this year, an elephant calf died after it was hit by an empty goods train between Mahua Milan and Nindra railway stations in Latehar district. Also in October, an elephant was run over by a train in Rourkela. This month, an elephant was killed after being hit by a goods train in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district when a herd of around 40 jumbos was crossing the railway tracks in the Chinta Pokhari area. This happened despite the forest department issuing an alert to the railway authorities on the movement of elephants. In July this year, an adult male elephant died under a train in Assam’s Morigaon district. Mistreatment in captivity: Elephants have been mistreated in captivity. Many such elephants have been rescued by an NGO Wildlife SOS and rehabilitated.
Predators: Young, sick, orphaned or injured elephants can also be easy prey for carnivores like lions, hyenas, and crocodiles.
Disease: Anthrax, a bacterium that causes high fever, shivering, ulcers, and swellings can be a big threat to elephants. This disease spreads through contaminated water or soil. Elephant-specific diseases like trunk paralysis and elephant pox are also threats. Elephants are also susceptible to some vector-borne and viral diseases that affect humans, such as intestinal colic, nettle rash, pneumonia, constipation, and even the common cold. Tuberculosis bacterium that affects the lungs travels through tiny droplets in the air and can infect both humans and elephants. Symptoms are chronic weight loss, nasal discharge, coughing, and diminished appetite. When ill, elephants find several ways to treat themselves. To cure digestive diseases, they fast or consume natural bitter herbs, bark, or alkaline (basic) earth. They coat their wounds with mud to protect them from insect or worm infestation.
Wildlife SOS project
To prevent tusker deaths in train hits, non-government organisation Wildlife SOS has embarked on a project in Uttarakhand. It has submitted a proposal to the Uttarakhand government for funding so that a system be devised to send an alarm to the train driver in case an elephant ventures on rail tracks. Senior wildlife biologist and director of conservation projects, Wildlife SOS, Baiju Raj said: “ We had a discussion with the drivers and they told us that the warning signal must be given at least one km prior, as the sudden stopping of the train was unthinkable, being hazardous for human passengers on board. In Haldwani, there is an area where there is a herd that always goes to the railway line. Since it is a hilly terrain with steep slopes on both sides, the project would be feasible there. So, we are working in that area. Elephants and even other animals go to the tracks for food, because people throw leftovers and edibles. Some time ago, when I was travelling to Bhopal in Shatabdi, the cleaner guy from the pantry car came and emptied the trash can on the tracks. Appalled, I told him we could have thrown the leftovers ourselves if they were to go on the tracks. This is a lack of awareness. All these small things matter. If there is no food availability on the tracks, elephants will not venture there. We should not expect merely the government to make changes. All must chip in.. We have radio-collared two elephants in Chhatisgarh to reduce man-animal conflict. A herd from Odisha has migrated to Chhatisgarh and creating a nuisance. We are also planning to work in Andhra Pradesh. The people and the NGOs must all support government measures for the protection of elephants by collaborating with the forest department through fundraising, radio-collaring, spreading awareness, and other measures.”
It is high time the gentle creature with a golden heart was given more protection by monitoring its numbers, preventing poaching and mishaps, and protecting its habitat.
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