Elephant reserves in India

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 30 notified Elephant Reserves (ERs) in the country spread over 15 states. Baitami (Odisha) and Lemru (Chhattisgarh) are other ERs which are yet to be notified by the state governments.

Source : Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change