5th elephant reserve in Agasthyamalai landscape
Recently, on the occasion of World Elephant Day, the Central Government has notified the 31st Elephant Reserve of India in Tamil Nadu.
The new elephant reserve has been notified as Agasthyamalai landscape Elephant Reserve. This reserve covers an area of 1,197.48 square kilometers in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu.
About Elephants:
The Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) is found in the following areas:
Central and Southern Western Ghats, Northeast India, Eastern India, Northern India and – parts of Southern Peninsular India.
Its conservation status-
- It is included in Schedule-I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- It is included in Appendix-1 of the Convention on International Trade in Threatened Species of Flora and Wild Fauna (CITES).
- IUCN Red List Status: Endangered.
- According to the census of the year 2017, there are 29,964 elephants in India. Karnataka has the highest number of elephants (6,049). It is followed by Assam (5,719) and Kerala (3,054).
Major threats to elephants-
Loss of genetic diversity due to human-elephant conflict, habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching and small populations and isolation.
Major Initiatives for the Conservation of Elephants
- India started the ‘Elephant Project’ in the year 1992. Under the project, the government provides technical and financial assistance to the states to save the elephants.
- Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE): This is an international effort to conserve elephants in Asia and Africa.
- World Elephant Day is celebrated every year on 12 August to raise awareness about the conservation and protection of the world’s elephants.
Source – The Hindu
