Project Elephant

Logo of Project Elephant
Elephant conservation overview
Formed	1992
Parent department	Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change,Government of India
Website	moef.gov.in

Wildlife of India
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Protected areas Biosphere reserves Communal forests Conservation areas Conservation and community reserves Elephant reserves National parks Private protected areas Ramsar Sites Reserved and protected forests Tiger reserves Wildlife sanctuaries
Conservation Projects Cheetah Dolphin Elephant Tiger Acts of Parliament Indian Forest Act 1927 Wildlife Protection Act 1972 Wildlife Protection Act 2002
Organizations National Ministry of Environment and Forests National Biodiversity Authority Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding Council of Forestry Research Indian Forest Service / Survey Institute of Forest Management Wildlife Institute Tiger Conservation Authority Zoo Authority International Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) South Asian Zoo Association (SAZARC) World Animal Protection World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Related topics Environmental issues Fossil parks Forestry Natural history Tourism Lists Botanical gardens Ecoregions Zoological gardens Wildlife population Elephant Tiger Wildlife
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Project Elephant is awildlife conservation movement initiated in India to protect theendangeredIndian elephant. The project was initiated in 1992 by theMinistry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of theGovernment of India to provide financial and technical support to the states forwildlife management of free-ranging elephant populations. The project aims to ensure the long-term survival and viability of elephant populations in their natural habitats by protecting the animals, their habitats andmigration corridors. The project also facilitates research of ecology and management of elephants, creating awareness of conservation among local people, and providing veterinary care for captive elephants.

Project Elephant was initiated in 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) by theMinistry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of theGovernment of India. The project was initiated to protect theIndian elephant and its habitats and to establish dedicated elephant reserves for sustaining elephant populations.^[1] The project was established to provide financial and technical support to the states with free ranging elephant population for the protection of the animals, their habitats andmigration corridors. It was also intended to addresshuman-animal conflict and promote welfare of captive elephants.^[2] The project has been implemented in 22States and union territories of India. The project also undertakes activities aimed at constructing infrastructure and other facilities for conservation like veterinary care, field force training, necessary capture and translocation of wild elephants. With regards to captive elephants, the project aims to ensure the well being of such elephants including providing veterinary care, training of mahouts and supervisory staff.^[1]

Another important aim of the scheme is to preventpoaching of wild elephants. Project Elephant has been formally implementing MIKE (Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants) programme ofCITES since January 2004. It facilitates taking suitable measures like deployment of patrolling squads, intelligence gathering, maintaining data on illegal hunting and to determine factors responsible for poaching and to take appropriate measures to mitigate the same.^[1] Project Elephant also facilitates various research activities through theCentral Rice Research Institute (CRRI) such as developing crop varieties not favored by elephants, developing elephant-proof storage bins for food grains and developing elephant repellents in order to reduce human-animal conflicts.^[3] It has also engaged in research regarding disease-management in captive elephants and efficacy of immuno-contraceptives on domesticated elephants withAssam Agricultural University, monitoring and tracking of elephants withWildlife Institute of India.^[3] Project Elephant also promoteseco-tourism for generating extra revenue for the welfare of captive breeding programmes for elephants, organizes courses for veterinarians and mahouts dealing with domesticated elephants and in promoting awareness on elephant conservation across communities.^[3]

The first exclusive exercise for enumeration of wild elephants in the elephant reserves was conducted in 2005. This exercise also sought to experiment with two sampling methods, viz.Block sampling andLine transect-Dung Count. As of the last elephant count in 2017, the population of wild elephants in the country has increased to 29,964 as compared to 27,669-27,719 in 2007.^[1] As of 2017, the estimated wild population in India account for nearly three-fourths of the extant population.^[4]

There are about 138 identified elephant corridors in India with the majority of the elephant population in India is restricted to four general areas.^[5][6]

As of 2023, 33 Elephant Reserves (ERs) extending nearly 80,778 square kilometres (31,189 sq mi) across 14 states have been formally notified.^[7][8][9]

• List of Indian states by elephant population
• Project Tiger
• Project Dolphin
• Project Cheetah
• Mela shikar
• Khedda

• Wildlife conservation in India
• Conservation-reliant species
• Elephant conservation
• Conservation projects
• Elephants in India

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