Securing the Future for Elephants in India - Ministry of Environment ...

CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Securing the challenge of conserving elephants in the wild and of ensuring
humane care in captivity is symbolic of the wider dilemma of living in
harmony with nature in India. No animal better symbolizes our cultures and
few have such major presence across diverse ecosystems as this flagship
species. But there is more to securing the future of the elephant than
knowledge of its biology.
The ecological and behavioral characteristics of elephants in the wild are the
necessary starting point but the challenge of conservation begins within our
broader social milieu. As our country’s economic base expands, the
challenges for in situ conservation in general and of large vertebrates in
particular will be more, not less intense. But the challenge is both societal and
scientific.
An India with elephants living securely in the wild, and in humane
conditions if in captivity, is still within reach. Such a goal if attained not in
full measure but very substantially can have wider resonances. It is also of
importance beyond our own borders. Possibly as many as six of every ten
wild Asian elephants live in India.
As for its future, there are grounds for both hope and concern. The most
recent estimate of the wild population of elephants in India is over 26,000
elephants. While population estimates may be revised as more rigorous
techniques are developed, what they do show is that the elephant does not
confront crisis of the sort the tiger has faced in the recent past. Its visibility
and presence across diverse ecosystems is probably greater than that of the
magnificent big cat.
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