# Karnataka, Assam and Tamil Nadu hold 59% of India’s elephants 2026-08-06T18:12:28+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Karnataka, Assam and Tamil Nadu together account for 13,308 of India’s estimated 22,466 elephants, or 59.29%, according to a Wildlife Institute of India report released on October 14. Karnataka has the largest estimated population at 6,013, followed by Assam with 4,159 and Tamil Nadu with 3,136. Seven north-eastern States and part of West Bengal account for 6,559 elephants, or 22.22% of the national total. The 2021-25 estimate used DNA-based mark-recapture for the first time in India. WII said the results cannot be compared with earlier estimates and should serve as a new baseline. Researchers collected 21,056 dung samples across 6,66,977 km and assessed habitat, water access, vegetation and human disturbance. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Tags: Assam, elephants, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, wildlife census Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/karnataka-assam-and-tamil-nadu-hold-59-of-indias-elephants/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/karnataka-assam-and-tamil-nadu-hold-59-of-indias-elephants/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.