Tamil Nadu's wild elephant count goes up to 3,170, says population report

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s wild elephant population has reached 3,170, an increase of 107 from the previous count of 3,063, according to the Third Synchronised Elephant Population Estimation (2025) report released on Tuesday.

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve recorded the highest elephant density, followed by Gudalur Forest Division and Anamalai Tiger Reserve, said the report released by Forests and Khadi Minister RS Raja Kannappan as part of Wildlife Week celebrations.

Tamil Nadu has been at the forefront of elephant protection through initiatives such as declaring elephant reserves, restoring habitats, and supporting mahout families through the Mahout Villages in Mudumalai and Anamalai, noted a statement from the government.

“This steady growth reflects Tamil Nadu’s commitment to wildlife management that is both science-driven and people-centric,” said Minister Raja Kannappan.

Additional Chief Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forests Supriya Sahu said the government had prioritised habitat restoration, removal of invasive species and technology-based monitoring. She said Tamil Nadu had declared the Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve, notified the Thanthai Periyar and Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuaries, and expanded protection over more than 2.8 lakh hectares of elephant habitat.

The synchronised estimation was conducted along with Karnataka from May 23 to 25 to ensure uniform data across shared elephant landscapes. The survey in Tamil Nadu covered 26 forest divisions, including tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, territorial divisions and one national park.

More than 2,000 Forest Department officials and volunteers took part using three standard methods — block count, line-transect (dung count) and waterhole count.

The report estimated an elephant density of 0.35 per sq km, based on 681 sample blocks covering 3,261 sq km. Adults accounted for 44 per cent of the total population, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.77 and an adult female-to-calf ratio of 1:0.50.

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve recorded the highest elephant density at 1.35 per sq km, followed by Gudalur Forest Division and Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

Officials said the results underline the importance of continued efforts in habitat restoration, corridor protection, conflict mitigation and local community involvement to ensure long-term conservation.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) Srinivas R Reddy, Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra and senior forest officials were present at the event.