India Faces Crisis with Elephant Deaths and Human-Wildlife Conflict

India lost 528 elephants to unnatural causes over the past five years due to poaching, poisoning, electrocution, and train accidents. Concurrently, human-elephant conflict led to 2,853 human deaths. The government plans coordinated efforts to mitigate these issues, including improved wildlife habitat management, crop guidelines, and safety measures.

India has reported the tragic loss of 528 elephants over the past five years, attributed to poaching, poisoning, electrocution, and train accidents, as disclosed by the government in Parliament on Monday.

BJP MPs Jayanta Kumar Roy and Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo raised inquiries to which Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh responded, revealing that electrocution alone accounted for 392 deaths, while 73 were due to train mishaps.

With human-elephant conflicts also escalating, resulting in 2,853 human fatalities, the government is focusing on enhancing wildlife habitat management, addressing conflict hotspots, and improving interdepartmental coordination to prevent further tragedies.

(With inputs from agencies.)