India’s government recently announced the establishment of Agasthiyamalai, the country’s 32nd Elephant Reserve (ER). The reserve, located in Tamil Nadu, was proclaimed during an event at the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala. This latest ER adds to the previous one, Singphan ER in Nagaland, which was instituted in 2018. Unique to Agasthiyamalai, it serves as a dual-purpose hub being both an Elephant Reserve and a Biosphere Reserve.
Indian Elephants: A Profile
Elephas maximus, or the Indian Elephant as more commonly known, resides in diverse locations across the country. The central and southern parts of Western Ghats, North East, Eastern, Northern India, along with specific regions of Southern Peninsular India are the principal habitats of these animals.
Sadly, the Indian Elephant is flagged as endangered on the IUCN Red List and is also listed in Appendix I of CITES. Additionally, under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, the Indian Elephant is classified under Schedule I.
The Census of 2017 reports that the population of Indian elephants was around 27,312. Karnataka led the count with the highest number of elephants at 6,049, followed by Assam at 5,719 and Kerala at 3,054.
Project Elephant: An Initiative for Conservation
Launched in February 1992, Project Elephant is a government-backed program aimed at the safeguarding of elephants, their habitats, and corridors. The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change provides the required financial and technical assistance to key elephant range provinces in the country through this project. Project Elephant serves three core objectives: the protection of elephants and their environments, addressing man-animal conflict issues, and ensuring the welfare of captive elephants.
Understanding Elephant Behaviour and Population through UPSC Civil Services Exam Questions
A previous question in the UPSC Civil Services Examination concerned Indian Elephant behaviour and population. It discussed aspects such as the matriarchal leadership of elephant groups, their long gestation period which can extend up to 22 months, the norm of calving until around the age of 40 years, and the state with the highest elephant population.
The key takeaways were that an elephant herd is usually led by the oldest and largest female member (the matriarch), and an elephant’s gestation period is the longest among all mammals, sometimes lasting up to 680 days or approximately 22 months.
Contrary to the common belief, elephant females from the age of 14 up to 45 years may give birth to calves roughly every four years. As they age, this interval gradually increases until it reaches approximately six years by the age of 60.
Lastly, the state with the highest elephant population is not Kerala as widely perceived, but Karnataka according to the Elephant Census of 2017, followed by Assam and then Kerala. This highlights the need for continual awareness and education regarding the status and protection of these majestic creatures.