Elephant ( Elephas maximus) is the largest terrestrial mammal of India . Elephant being wide ranging animal requires large areas. The requirement of food and water for elephants are very high and therefore their population can be supported only by forests that are under optimal conditions. The status of elephant can be the best indicator of the status of the forests. Distribution of Elephants Asian elephants were believed to be widely distributed - from Tigris - Euphrates in West Asia eastward through Persia into the Indian sub-continent, South and Southeast Asia including Sri Lanka, Java, Sumatra, Borneo and up to North China. However currently they are confined to Indian Subcontinent, South East Asia and some Asian Islands - Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia. About 60% of the Asian elephant population is in India. Old literatures indicate that even during the Moghul period, elephants were found all over India including many part of Central India like Marwar, Chanderi, Satwas, Bijagarh and Panna. However current distribution of wild elephant in India is confined to South India; North East including North West Bengal; Central Indian states of Odisha, South WB and Jharkhand; and North West India in Uttarakahnd and UP. Elephant reserves in India There are 33 notified Elephant Reserves (ERs) in the country spread over 14 states. Sl. No Elephant Range Elephant Reserve with date of notification State Total Area (Sq. Km) I Eastern India (South West Bengal- Jharkhand-Odisha) 1. Mayurjharna ER (24.10.02) W. Bengal 414 2. Singhbhum ER (26.9.01) Jharkhand 4530 3. Mayurbhanj ER (29.9.01) Odisha 3214 4. Mahanadi ER (20.7.02) Odisha 1038 5. Sambalpur ER (27.3.02) Odisha 427 6. Badalkhol-Tamorpingla (15.9.2011) Chhattisgarh 1048.30 7. Lemru ER (2022) Chhattisgarh 450 II North Brahamputra (Arunachal – Assam) 8. Kameng ER (19.6.02) Arunachal 1892 9. Sonitpur ER (6.3.03) Assam 1420 III South Brahamputra (Assam- Arunachal) 10. Dihing-Patkai ER (17.4.03) Assam 937 11. South Arunachal ER (29.2.08) Arunachal 1957.50 IV Kaziranga (Assam- Nagaland) 12. Kaziranga – Karbi Anglong ER (17.4.03) Assam 3270 13. Dhansiri-Lungding ER (19.4.03) Assam 2740 14. Intanki ER (28.2.05) Nagaland 202 15. Singphan ER (16.8.18) Nagaland 23.57 V Eastern Dooars (Assam- W. Bengal) 16. Chirang-Ripu ER (7.3.03) Assam 2600 17. Eastern Dooars ER (28.8.02) W. Bengal 978 VI E. Himalayas (Meghalaya) 18. Garo Hills ER (31.10.01) Meghalaya 3,500 VII Nilgiri –Eastern Ghat (Karnataka- Kerala- Tamilnadu-Andhra) 19. Mysore ER (25.11.02) Karnataka 6724 20. Dandeli ER (26.3.15 Karnataka 21. Wayanad ER (2.4.02) Kerala 1200 22. Nilgiri ER (19.9.03) Tamil Nadu 4663 23. Agsthyamalai ER (12.08.2022) Tamil Nadu 1,197.48 24. Rayala ER (9.12.03) Andhra 766 VIII South Nilgiri (Kerala- Tamilnadu) 25. Nilambur ER (2.4.02) Kerala 1419 26. Coimbatore ER (19.9.03) Tamilnadu 566 IX Western Ghat (Tamilnadu- Kerala) 27. Anamalai ER (19.9.03) Tamilnadu 1457 28. Anamudi ER (2.4.02) Kerala 3728 X Periyar (Kerala- Tamilnadu) 29. Periyar (2.4.02) Kerala 3742 30. Srivilliputtur ER(19.9.03) Tamilnadu 1249 XI Northern India (Uttaranchal-U.P.) 31. Shivalik ER (28.10.02) Uttaranchal 5405 32. Uttar Pradesh ER (9.9.09) U.P. 744 33. Terai ER (2022) U.P. 3049 Source : Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change