Karnataka records highest wild elephant population with 6,013
southern states home to over 53% of total
Bengaluru: Karnataka has emerged as the state with the highest wild elephant population in India, recording 6,013 elephants, according to the country’s first-ever DNA-based population estimation.
The survey, titled “Status of Elephants in India: DNA-based Synchronous All-India Population Estimation of Elephants”, revealed that southern states account for 53.16% of the country’s total elephant population, with Karnataka leading the list, followed by Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
According to the study, cited by Deccan Herald on Wednesday, Tamil Nadu reported 3,136 and Kerala 2,785, bringing the total for the Western Ghats landscape to 11,934 elephants.
The Environment Ministry, Project Elephant, and the Wildlife Institute of India released the long-awaited report nearly four years after the survey began in 2021. The delay was due to the complex genetic analysis and data validation involved in the exercise.
Officials clarified that the new figures are not directly comparable with the 2017 census, which estimated 27,312 elephants across India, as the methodology has changed significantly. This is the first time DNA analysis of dung samples has been used to estimate elephant numbers.
The new count used a three-phase process combining ground surveys, satellite-based mapping and genetic analysis.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Indian Navy vigilant in safeguarding country's maritime interests: Prez Murmu
Visakhapatnam (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said that the Indian Navy is vigilant in safeguarding country's maritime interests and is contributing to stability across wider maritime commerce.
Presiding over the International Fleet Review (IFR) off Vizag coast abroad an Indian Naval warship in the Bay of Bengal, the President said the Indian Navy is deployed in the region to serve as a credible instrument of deterrence and defence against threats and challenges arising in the sea.
"Indian Navy is vigilant in safeguarding India's maritime interests and is contributing to stability across wider maritime commerce," Murmu said.
Further, she noted that the Indian Navy plays a vital role in promoting goodwill and building bridges of trust, confidence and friendship with navies around the globe.
Murmu addressed the IFR after she sailed to review several Indian and foreign vessels.
