Now Reading: Karnataka, Assam and Tamil Nadu hold 59% of India’s elephants
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Karnataka, Assam and Tamil Nadu hold 59% of India’s elephants
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…
The Story in Brief
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.
The Indian Opinion
Claims that India’s elephants are concentrated only in the south miss the north-east’s 6,559 animals, while claims that the new figure proves a rise or fall also go beyond the evidence. The method has changed, so older totals cannot provide a direct trend. The useful test now is whether the next estimate uses the same method and records changes in each landscape, especially where human footprints and night lights are increasing.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
