Project Elephant

Project Elephant was launched in 1992 by the Government of India Ministry of Environment and Forests to provide financial and technical support of wildlife management efforts by states for their free ranging populations of wild Asian Elephants. The project aims to ensure long-term survival of viable conservation reliant populations of elephants in their natural habitats by protecting the elephants, their habitats and migration corridors. Other goals of Project Elephant are supporting research of the ecology and management of elephants, creating conservation awareness among local people, providing improved veterinary care for captive elephants.

Objectives

Project Elephant (PE) was launched by the Government of India in the year 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with following objectives:

• To protect elephants, their habitat & corridors
• To address issues of man-animal conflict
• Welfare of captive elephants

Activities

Financial and Technical support are being provided to major elephant bearing States in the country. The Project is being mainly implemented in 16 States / UTs, viz. Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. Main activities under the Project are as follows:

• Ecological restoration of existing natural habitats and migratory routes of elephants;
• Development of scientific and planned management for conservation of elephant habitats and viable population of Wild Asiatic elephants in India;
• Promotion of measures for mitigation of man elephant conflict in crucial habitats and moderating pressures of human and domestic stock activities in crucial elephant habitats;
• Strengthening of measures for protection of Wild elephants form poachers and unnatural causes of death;
• Research on Elephant management related issues;
• Public education and awareness programmes;
• Eco-development
• Veterinary care
• Elephant Rehabilitation/Rescue Centers

Elephant reserves

Further information: List of Indian states by elephant population

As of 2010, 32 Elephant Reserves (ERs) extending over about 58,000 square kilometres (22,000 sq mi) have been formally notified by various State Governments. The list of Elephant Reserves with area and elephant population is as follows:

Elephant reserves of Project Elephant in India (2005)

S.No.	Reserve Name	Range	Estd.	State	Total area (km²)	Population
1	Mayurjharna	East-Central	2002	West Bengal	414	96
2	Singhbhum	East-Central	2001	Jharkhand	4,530	371
3	Mayurbhanj	East-Central	2001	Orissa	3,214	465
4	Mahanadi	East-Central	2002	Orissa	1,038	464
5	Sambalpur	East-Central	2002	Orissa	427	336
6	Baitarni	East-Central		Orissa	1,755	108
7	South Orissa	East-Central		Orissa	1,049	138
8	Lemru	East-Central		Chattisgarh	450
9	Badalkhol-Tamorpingla	East-Central		Chattisgarh	4,216	138
10	Kameng	Kameng-Sonitpur	2002	Arunachal Pradesh	1,892
11	Sonitpur	Kameng-Sonitpur	2003	Assam	1,420	612
12	Dihing-Patkai	Eastern-South	2003	Assam	937	295
13	South Arunachal	Eastern-South		Arunachal Pradesh	900+	129
14	Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong	Kaziranga	2003	Assam	3,270	1,940
15	Dhansiri-Lungding	Kaziranga	2003	Assam	2,740	275
16	Intanki	Kaziranga	2005	Nagaland	202	30
17	Chirang-Ripu	North Bengal-Greater Manas	2003	Assam	2,600	658
18	Eastern Dooars	North Bengal-Greater Manas	2002	West Bengal	978	300-350
19	Garo Hills	Meghalaya	2001	Meghalaya	3,500	1,047
20	Khasi Hills	Meghalaya		Meghalaya	1,331	383
21	Mysore	Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats	2002	Karnataka	6,724	4,452
22	Wayanad	Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats	2002	Kerala	1,200	636
23	Nilgiri	Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats	2003	Tamil Nadu	4,663	2,862
24	Rayala	Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats	2003	Andhra Pradesh	766	12
25	Nilambur	Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats	2002	Kerala	1,419	281
26	Coimbatore	Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats	2003	Tamil Nadu	566	329
27	Anamalai	Anamalai-Nelliampathy-High Range	2003	Tamil Nadu	1,457	179
28	Anamudi	Anamalai-Nelliampathy-High Range	2002	Kerala	3,728	1,547
29	Periyar	Periyar-Agasthyamalai	2002	Kerala	3,742	1,100
30	Srivilliputtur	Periyar-Agasthyamalai	2003	Tamil Nadu	1,249	638
31	Shivalik	North-Western	2003	Uttarakhand	5,405	1,610
32	Uttar Pradesh	North-Western	2009	Uttar Pradesh	744
	Project Elephant	Total			69,583	21,370

Enumeration

The first exclusive exercise for enumeration of wild elephants in the ERs was conducted during February to May 2005. This exercise also sought to experiment with two sampling methods, viz. Block sampling and Line transect-Dung Count. PE arranged for training of trainers and also issued detailed guidelines to the chief wildlife wardens and the field coordinators. Total population of elephants in 2005 was nearly 21,200. The latest census carried out in 2012 put elephant numbers between 27,785 and 31,368.

Monitoring against poaching

Project Elephant has been formally implementing MIKE (Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants) programme of CITES in 10 ERs since January 2004. It is mandated by COP resolution of CITES. It was started in South Asia in 2003 with the following purpose:

• To measure levels and trends in illegal hunting of elephants.
• To determine changes in these trends overtime.
• To determine the factors causing or associated with these changes and to try and assess in particular to what extent observed trends are a result of any decisions taken by the Conference of the Parties to CITES.

Data are collected from all sites on monthly basis in specified MIKE patrol form and submitted to Sub-Regional Support Office for South Asia Programme in Delhi who are assisting Ministry in implementation of the programme.

Research

PE did a 36-months research project (2003-04 to 2006-07) with the help of the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), Cuttack, for developing high yielding varieties of paddy not relished by elephants; developing elephant-proof storage bins for food grains; and developing elephant repellents. The project is being carried out at the CRRI's research stations in Orissa and Assam. Two projects (2003-04 to 2006-07) with the help of the Assam Agricultural University on "Disease management in captive elephants" and "Anatomical studies on the Asian elephant" were conducted. PE entrusted WII with a small project (2004-05 to 2005-06) to study the impact of the relocation of the Gujjar on the flora and fauna of Rajaji National Park and with the Indian Statistical Institute helped the West Bengal Forest Department carry out a sample-based enumeration of elephants during 2005.

PE has also imbibed the use of eco-tourism for generating extra revenue for the welfare of captive breeding programmes for elephants. PE has been organizing regular refresher courses for veterinarians dealing with wild and domesticated elephants at Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur and Assam Agricultural University, Guwahati. PE has initiated a programme for registration of domesticated elephants by using microchips. More than 1000 elephants have been microchipped so far in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar and Delhi etc. PE has organized necessary training for this purpose and also arranged for supply of standard microchips and readers to all the States known to possess domesticated elephants.

Popular culture

• PE has produced a 58 minutes video-documentary "Living with the Giants" on elephant conservation in India

See also

• Mela shikar
• Khedda