Context:
Centre’s move on merging Project Tiger and Project Elephant is in contravention of the earlier decision of the National Board for Wildlife.
About Elephants:
| Asian Elephants | African Elephants | |
| Sub species | 3 subspecies: Indian, Sumatran and Sri Lankan. | 2 subspecies: Savanna (or bush) elephant and Forest elephant |
| Protection Status | IUCN Red List: Endangered. WPA, 1972: Schedule I. CITES: Appendix I | IUCN Red List Status: African Savanna Elephant: Endangered. African Forest Elephant: Critically Endangered CITES: Appendix II |
Asian Elephant vs. African Elephant
Government Initiatives:
Project Elephant:
- Launched in 1992
- Aim: To provide financial and technical support to wildlife management efforts by states for their free ranging populations of wild Asian Elephants.
- Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS)
- Elephant Census:
- Conducted once in 5 years (Last Census in 2017)
- Under the aegis of Project Elephant.
- Karnataka has the highest number of elephants, followed by Assam and Kerala.
Seed Bombs – Casting seed balls (or bombs) inside different reserve forest areas to enrich food stock for wild elephants to prevent man-elephant conflict.
Gaj Yatra:
- A nationwide campaign launched on the occasion of World Elephant Day.
- Ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- Led by – Wildlife Trust of India.
- Idea: “Journey celebrating India’s national heritage animal”
- Aim: To secure 100 elephant corridors across India.
- Objective: To cover elephant range states to provide ‘Right of Passage’ on elephant corridors in India.
World Elephant Day is an international annual event on August 12, dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world’s elephants.
Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme:
- Established by a CITES Resolution adopted at the CoP10 in 1997.
- An international collaboration that measures the levels, trends, and causes of elephant mortality.
- 10 MIKE Sites (Elephant Reserve – ER) in India – Chirang-Ripu ER, Dihing Patkai ER, Eastern Dooars ER, Deomali ER, Garo Hills ER, Mayurbhanj ER, Shivalik ER, Mysore ER, Nilgiri ER and Wayanad ER.
Project RE-HAB:
- Reducing Elephant-Human Attacks using Bees
- Aim – To create “bee fences” to thwart elephant attacks in human habitations using honeybees.
- Implementing Agency: Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
- Sub-mission of KVIC’s National Honey Mission.
| 33 Elephant Reserves in India (As on August 2023) | |
| State | Elephant Reserve (ER) |
| Andhra Pradesh (1) | Rayala ER |
| Arunachal Pradesh (2) | Kameng ER |
| South Arunachal ER | |
| Assam (5) | Sonitpur ER |
| Dihing-Patkai ER | |
| Kaziranga – Karbi Anglong ER | |
| Dhansiri-Lungding ER | |
| Chirang-Ripu ER | |
| Chhattisgarh (2) | Badalkhol-Tamorpingla |
| Lemru ER | |
| Jharkhand (1) | Singhbhum ER |
| Karnataka (2) | Mysore ER |
| Dandeli ER | |
| Kerala (4) | Wayanad ER |
| Nilambur ER | |
| Anamudi ER | |
| Periyar | |
| Meghalaya (1) | Garo Hills ER |
| Nagaland (2) | Intanki ER |
| Singphan ER | |
| Odisha (3) | Mayurbhanj ER |
| Mahanadi ER | |
| Sambalpur ER | |
| Tamil Nadu (5) | Nilgiri ER |
| Coimbatore ER | |
| Anamalai ER | |
| Srivilliputtur ER | |
| Agsthyamalai ER | |
| Uttar Pradesh (2) | Uttar Pradesh ER |
| Terai ER | |
| Uttarakhand (1) | Shivalik ER |
| West Bengal (2) | Mayurjharna ER |
| Eastern Dooars ER | |
| States with maximum number of ERs: Assam and Tamil Nadu (5) | |
Click here to read more about Project Tiger
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
With reference to Indian elephants, consider the following statements:
1. The leader of an elephant group is a female.
2. The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.
3. An elephant can normally go on calving till the age of 40 years only.
4. Among the States in India, the highest elephant population is in Kerala.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 4 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 3 and 4 only
Answer: (a)
