Asian elephant

Scientific Name

Elephas maximus

IUCN Status

Endangered (EN)

Lifespan

86 years

Population

20,000-40,000

Weight

2,000-6,000 kg

Range

Southern states, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya

Habitat Type

Alluvial Grasslands, Tropical Evergreen Forests, Deciduous Forests, Agricultural Landscapes

Threats

Poaching for tusks, hunting for meat, habitat loss, retaliatory killing, death on roads, railway tracks and by electrocution

IUCN Status

Endangered (EN)

Lifespan

86 years

Population

20,000-40,000

Weight

2,000-6,000 kg

Range

Southern states, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya

Habitat Type

Alluvial Grasslands, Tropical Evergreen Forests, Deciduous Forests, Agricultural Landscapes

Threats

Poaching for tusks, hunting for meat, habitat loss, retaliatory killing, death on roads, railway tracks and by electrocution

Through videos, stories, infographics and more, here's a deep dive into the world and life of the Asian elephant

Green Humour

See the species from a cartoonist's point of view

Deep Dive

Photos, stories, videos and everything you want to know

When Elephants Rage Learn More chevron_right
38 Results
Elephants from Bandhavgarh Have an Important Announcement
Green Humour
Elephants from Bandhavgarh Have an Important Announcement
Rohan Chakravarty
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment and conservation
By
Rohan Chakravarty
Green Humour
The Scientist Who Speaks to Elephants
Book
The Scientist Who Speaks to Elephants
In her latest book for kids Planet Protectors: Stories of Green Heroes, author Bahar Dutt takes the reader on an adventure to meet real-life heroes of nature conservation
Book
Shadowing Elephants: The Story of Kallar
Conservation
Shadowing Elephants: The Story of Kallar
Neha Sinha
The Kallar Corridor is a narrow habitat that allows for the movement of animals from one protected area to another. However, National Highway 181 and numerous other factors still severely restrict animal movement. Keeping the corridor a coexistence zone for people and wildlife is an ongoing process
By
Neha Sinha
Conservation
Quiz: Asian Elephant
Interactive
Quiz: Asian Elephant
Sustain Team
How well do you know Asia's largest land mammal? Take our quiz to find out.
By
Sustain Team
Interactive
Wildlife Colouring Sheet: Asian Elephant
Interactive
Wildlife Colouring Sheet: Asian Elephant
Sustain Team
Fill in the colours and discover the world of this Asian elephant
By
Sustain Team
Interactive
Wildlife Puzzle: Asian Elephant
Interactive
Wildlife Puzzle: Asian Elephant
Sustain Team
Put this jigsaw together to reveal an Asian elephant walking in a dense forest of South India
By
Sustain Team
Interactive
Elephants and Fences: Intelligence and Ingenuity
Wild Vault
Elephants and Fences: Intelligence and Ingenuity
Aritra Kshettry
Avijan Saha
The personal story of a middle-aged makhna (tuskless bull elephant) named Dushtu and his attempts to help himself to the paddy crops in Panijhora, a forest village in the Himalayan foothills of West Bengal
By
Aritra Kshettry
Avijan Saha
Wild Vault
Orphaned Calves: Paying the Price of Human-elephant Conflict
Wild Vault
Orphaned Calves: Paying the Price of Human-elephant Conflict
Arathi Menon
Elephant calves are sometimes the casualties in the tussle for space between humans and elephants. While some orphaned calves are accepted back into their herds, many young ones find it difficult to survive in the wild without their mothers who died from electrocution or other accidents.
By
Arathi Menon
Wild Vault
Elephants Crossing: Danger and Death on a Railway Track in Palakkad
Conservation
Elephants Crossing: Danger and Death on a Railway Track in Palakkad
PA Vinayan
Around the country, train accidents continue to kill scores of elephants. Numerous elephants in the Palakkad division have met the same disastrous fate. Urgent conservation measures are required to stop this recurring tragedy
By
PA Vinayan
Conservation
Living With Elephants: Can Mobile Technology Help Mitigate Human-wildlife Conflict?
Conservation
Living With Elephants: Can Mobile Technology Help Mitigate Human-wildlife Conflict?
Shoba Narayan
Ganesh Raghunathan
Human casualties are the dominant cost of human-wildlife conflict in India. A community-based initiative in Valparai attempts to mitigate this and help people and elephants coexist
By
Shoba Narayan
Ganesh Raghunathan
Conservation
An Insider’s Perspective: The Short Life of an Asian Elephant in West Bengal
Conservation
An Insider’s Perspective: The Short Life of an Asian Elephant in West Bengal
Aritra Kshettry
Avijan Saha
Indian elephants live for 50 years, they say. Except when they are forced to share spaces with humans who are squeezing their limited habitats
By
Aritra Kshettry
Avijan Saha
Conservation
Elephants are Choosy When it Comes to Food
Wild Vault
Elephants are Choosy When it Comes to Food
Mongabay
A study in northern West Bengal found that elephants are selective with their diet, feeding on approximately 130 species of plants among the 286 that were recorded.
By
Mongabay
Wild Vault
Helping a Sister Out of a Pit
Book
Helping a Sister Out of a Pit
Pamela Malhotra
A herd of elephants demonstrate their love and dedication towards a family member at SAI Sanctuary
By
Pamela Malhotra
Book
Elephantastic Ways to Communicate
Green Humour
Elephantastic Ways to Communicate
Rohan Chakravarty
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment and conservation
By
Rohan Chakravarty
Green Humour
#WorldElephantDay: The Story of Chilli Komban, a Beloved Elephant
Multimedia
#WorldElephantDay: The Story of Chilli Komban, a Beloved Elephant
Sustain Team
Ahead of World Elephant Day, Pravin Shanmughanandam tells us the heartbreaking story of a loved elephant who was recently declared "a rogue" by the media. This not a story of just one elephant, but elephants everywhere that are struggling to make sense of a world, that we are constantly changing and destroying.
By
Sustain Team
Multimedia
A Lemon a Day Keeps the Elephant Away
Conservation
A Lemon a Day Keeps the Elephant Away
Kasturi Das
Lemon tree fences help farmers in Assam safeguard their crops and homes from elephants
By
Kasturi Das
Conservation
Anaimalai Roadblock: On the Trail of a Tusker
Wild Vault
Anaimalai Roadblock: On the Trail of a Tusker
Pravin Shanmughanandam
A majestic elephant that has been migrating through forest patches in the foothills of Anaimalai hills for many years suddenly faces an obstacle
By
Pravin Shanmughanandam
Wild Vault
Disturbed by Mining, Chattisgarh’s Elephants Move to Gadchiroli
Conservation
Disturbed by Mining, Chattisgarh’s Elephants Move to Gadchiroli
Saurabh Katkurwar
Herd migrates to forests of the neighbouring state of Maharashtra attracted by good quality food and adequate water
By
Saurabh Katkurwar
Conservation
Can Feeding Wild Elephants Paddy Reduce Human-Wildlife Conflict?
Conservation
Can Feeding Wild Elephants Paddy Reduce Human-Wildlife Conflict?
Alok Prakash Putul
The Chhattisgarh state government is trying to feed its surplus paddy to elephants in the hope that it will prevent them from coming into villages in search of food. Experts weigh in on the wisdom of this strategy
By
Alok Prakash Putul
Conservation
A Family Affair: How Elephants Build Intimate Social Relationships
Video
A Family Affair: How Elephants Build Intimate Social Relationships
Sustain Team
For elephants, it's all about keeping the family together. They gently raise the young, help those in need, play with each other and even share grief
By
Sustain Team
Video
Choosing Between Elephants and Humans in the Nilgiris
Conservation
Choosing Between Elephants and Humans in the Nilgiris
KA Shaji
The implementation of the Sigur Elephant Corridor connecting the Eastern and Western Ghats faces opposition from human rights activists
By
KA Shaji
Conservation
Language of Giants: The Intriguing World of Elephant Communication
Photo Story
Language of Giants: The Intriguing World of Elephant Communication
Sustain Team
Dhritiman Mukherjee
Asian elephants use a range of sensory signals to bond with each other, mate, even express grief and empathy
By
Sustain Team
Dhritiman Mukherjee
Photo Story
Dominance Effect: The Dynamic Social Lives of Male Elephants
Photo Story
Dominance Effect: The Dynamic Social Lives of Male Elephants
Sustain Team
Dhritiman Mukherjee
Elephants display dominance behaviour to establish and maintain rank. This hierarchy is understood by all and reduces potential conflict between them
By
Sustain Team
Dhritiman Mukherjee
Photo Story
Winds of Change: New Strategies to Combat Human-Elephant Conflict
Conservation
Winds of Change: New Strategies to Combat Human-Elephant Conflict
Manish Kumar
State forest departments of Odisha and Chattisgarh are working with local communities to mitigate conflict by using seed balls, drones and alarm machines
By
Manish Kumar
Conservation
Mowgli Encounters a Pack of Dholes
Book
Mowgli Encounters a Pack of Dholes
Stephen Alter
A human child raised by an elephant matriarch in an Indian jungle learns the ways of the wild
By
Stephen Alter
Book
Tamil Nadu to Investigate Cause of Mysterious Elephant Deaths
Conservation
Tamil Nadu to Investigate Cause of Mysterious Elephant Deaths
George Rajasekaran
Poisoning and disease emerge as prime suspects for the deaths of elephants in the state's forests in the last seven months
By
George Rajasekaran
Conservation
Learning to Coexist with Elephants
Conservation
Learning to Coexist with Elephants
Aritra Kshettry
Positive stories that talk of shared spaces, respect for the gentle giants, and acceptance of their presence can lead the way forward
By
Aritra Kshettry
Conservation
Asian Elephant: Facts, Habitat, Weight, Threats
Infographic
Asian Elephant: Facts, Habitat, Weight, Threats
Nisarg Prakash
Diviya Mehra
All you need to know about Asia's largest terrestrial mammal
By
Nisarg Prakash
Diviya Mehra
Infographic
Breaking Bad: The Brotherhood of Bull Elephants
Column
Breaking Bad: The Brotherhood of Bull Elephants
Janaki Lenin
How young male elephants have changed their social behaviour and adopted a range of strategies and tactics that help them raid crops and survive the wrath of humans
By
Janaki Lenin
Column
Problem Elephant or Elephantine Problem?
Conservation
Problem Elephant or Elephantine Problem?
Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan
The words we use to label animals involved in human-animal conflict situations can make a big difference to their conservation status
By
Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan
Conservation
When Elephants Rage
Species
When Elephants Rage
Neha Sinha
A provoked, charging elephant may please popping cameras, but distresses the otherwise peaceful animal. They deserve the land, space and privacy they need
By
Neha Sinha
Species
Crisis in Kodagu: Can Humans and Elephants co-exist?
Conservation
Crisis in Kodagu: Can Humans and Elephants co-exist?
Arathi Menon
Kodagu’s people live in constant fear of elephant encounters, but strengthening wildlife corridors and educating locals can mitigate the situation. This is the second story in a two-part series on human-elephant interactions in Kodagu
By
Arathi Menon
Conservation
Crisis in Kodagu: Reports from the Epicentre of Human-Elephant Conflict
Conservation
Crisis in Kodagu: Reports from the Epicentre of Human-Elephant Conflict
Arathi Menon
Escalating human-elephant clashes in Kodagu are causing economic loss, and endangering lives of both, man and animal. This is the first story in a two-part series on human-elephant interactions in Kodagu
By
Arathi Menon
Conservation
Living With Elephants
Video
Living With Elephants
Sustain Team
In the last few decades, Assam has turned into the epicentre of human-elephant conflict, with deaths and severe damages on both sides. But not all hope is lost
By
Sustain Team
Video
In a Tight Corner: The Dwindling Elephant Herds of Assam
Conservation
In a Tight Corner: The Dwindling Elephant Herds of Assam
Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya
Massive habitat loss has pushed the elephants of Assam into fierce competition with humans over ever-shrinking resources
By
Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya
Conservation
Forced to Join the Boys’ Club: Male Elephants Adapt to Change
News
Forced to Join the Boys’ Club: Male Elephants Adapt to Change
Deepa Padmanaban
Known to lead solitary lives once they reach adolescence, male elephants in South India are now responding to habitat changes by altering their behaviour and hanging out in all-male groups
By
Deepa Padmanaban
News
How a Group of Men Saved Elephants by Talking to Them
Book
How a Group of Men Saved Elephants by Talking to Them
Prerna Singh Bindra
In The Vanishing, wildlife writer and conservationist, Prerna Singh Bindra speaks of critical challenges that confront India’s wildlife, interspersed with a few stories of resistance and hope
By
Prerna Singh Bindra
Book
Nishant Srinivasaiah: On First-Name Terms with Wild Elephants
Hero
Nishant Srinivasaiah: On First-Name Terms with Wild Elephants
Nanditha Chandraprakash
A wildlife biologist examines how elephants survive and adapt in South India’s human dominated landscapes
By
Nanditha Chandraprakash
Hero