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Elephant Reserves in India, Complete List, Significance, History

Check Elephant Reserves in India, comprising a total of 33 reserves. Learn about their locations, mapping, and discover insights into the first and most recent Elephant Reserves in India.
authorImageParul Rishi18 Aug, 2025
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Elephant Reserves in India

Elephant Reserves in India : In 1992, the Indian government started Project Elephant to protect elephants, their homes, and paths they use to travel. It also aims to solve problems when elephants and people come into conflict and take care of elephants kept in captivity. Elephant Reserves in India is important for exams like SSC and banking, UPSC, RRB, so here's a list of Elephant Reserves in India and all relevant details.

Elephant Reserves in India

In 1992, India began Project Elephant to protect elephants and their homes. India has 33 elephant reserves. Every year on August 12th, World Elephant Day reminds us to save these big animals. There are three types of Asian elephants: Indian, Sumatran, and Sri Lankan. India has over 28,000 elephants, with a quarter in Karnataka. 

Elephant Reserves in India Aim

Elephant reserves in India aim to protect wild elephants and their natural habitats to ensure their long-term survival. 

1. Scientific management of elephant conservation: This involves using scientific methods and research to effectively manage elephant populations, their habitats, and conservation efforts. It includes gathering data on elephant behavior, population dynamics, habitat requirements, and threats they face.

2. Combating illegal ivory trade and poaching: This involves implementing measures to prevent the illegal trade of elephant ivory and to stop poaching activities. It includes enforcing laws against ivory trade, increasing surveillance in elephant habitats, and implementing strategies to disrupt poaching networks.

3. Preventing unnatural elephant deaths in India: This focuses on reducing human-induced causes of elephant mortality, such as electrocution from power lines, accidents on roads and railways, and conflicts with humans. Measures include installing barriers along roads and railways, creating safe passages for elephants, and implementing stricter regulations to prevent human-elephant conflicts.

4. Restoring ecological balance in elephant habitats and migratory routes: This involves restoring and maintaining the natural habitats and migratory routes of elephants to ensure their long-term survival. It includes habitat restoration projects, reforestation efforts, and preserving natural corridors for elephant movement.

5. Resolving conflicts between humans and elephants: This focuses on finding solutions to mitigate conflicts between humans and elephants, such as crop raiding and property damage. Strategies include implementing elephant-proof barriers, using deterrents to deter elephants from entering human settlements, and providing compensation to affected communities.

6. Limiting impacts of livestock and human activities in elephant habitats: This involves minimizing the negative impacts of livestock grazing, agriculture, and other human activities on elephant habitats. It includes promoting sustainable land use practices, reducing habitat fragmentation, and creating buffer zones around protected areas.

7. Raising public awareness on elephant conservation: This focuses on educating the public about the importance of elephant conservation and the threats facing elephant populations.

8. Providing veterinary care for domestic elephants: This involves ensuring the health and well-being of domesticated elephants through regular veterinary care and medical treatment. It includes providing vaccinations, treatment for injuries and illnesses, and implementing welfare standards for captive elephants.

9. Promoting eco-friendly development tailored to elephant needs: This involves promoting sustainable development practices that take into account the needs of elephants and their habitats. It includes incorporating elephant conservation considerations into land use planning, infrastructure development, and tourism activities.

List of Elephant Reserves in India

As officially designated by the government, India hosts 33 elephant reserves. The first Elephant Reserves in India was the Singhbhum Elephant Reserve in Jharkhand. Here's a comprehensive list of these Elephant Reserves in India.

List of Elephant Reserves in India

Zone State Elephant Reserves
North-Western Landscape Uttrakhand Shivalik Elephant Reserve
Uttarpradesh Uttar Pradesh Elephant Reserve
East-Central Landscape West Bengal Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve
Jharkhand Singhbhum Elephant Reserve
Orissa Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve Mahanadi Elephant Reserve Sambalpur Elephant Reserve Baitami Elephant Reserve South Orissa Elephant Reserve
Chhattisgarh Lemur Elephant Reserve Badalkhol – Tamor Pingla Elephant Reserve
Kameng- Sonitpur Landscape Arunachal Pradesh Kameng Elephant Reserve
Assam Sonitpur Elephant Reserve
Eastern-South Bank Landscape Assam Dihing-Patkai Elephant Reserve
Arunachal Pradesh South Arunachal Elephant Reserve
Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong-Intanki Landscape Assam Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Elephant Reserve Dhansiri-Lungding Elephant Reserve
Nagaland Intanki Elephant Reserve
North Bengal- Greater Manas Landscape Assam Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve
West Bengal Eastern Dooars Elephant Reserve
Meghalaya Landscape Meghalaya Garo Hills Elephant Reserve Khasi-hills Elephant Reserve
Brahmagiri- Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats Landscape Karnataka Mysore Elephant Reserve
Kerala Wayanad Elephant Reserve Nilambur Elephant Reserve
Tamil Nadu Coimbatore Elephant Reserve Nilgiri Elephant Reserve
Andhra Pradesh Rayala Elephant Reserve
Annamalai- Nelliyampathy- High Range Landscape Tamil Nadu Annamalai Elephant Reserve
Kerala Anamudi Elephant Reserve
Periyar- Agasthyamalai Landscape Kerala Periyar Elephant Reserve
  Tamil Nadu Srivilliputhur Elephant Reserve

Largest Elephant Reserve in India

The largest elephant reserve in India is the Nilgiri Elephant Reserve. It covers a big area across three states: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. This reserve is very important for elephant conservation because it has many elephants living freely in the wild. It also connects different forests, which helps elephants move safely from one place to another.

Project Elephant 

Project Elephant is a program started by the Indian government in 1992 to protect elephants and their homes. The main goal is to keep elephant paths called corridors safe so elephants can move freely and stay healthy. The project also works to reduce problems like conflicts between people and elephants, habitat loss, and poaching. It involves local communities to help protect elephants and teaches everyone why saving these animals is important. This way, both elephants and people can live peacefully together.

1st Elephant Reserves in India

The establishment of the Singhbhum Elephant Reserve in Jharkhand was the first step in India's efforts to establish Elephant Reserves. The latest addition is the Terai Elephant Reserve (TER) in Dudhwa-Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh. This new reserve covers a vast area of 3,049 square kilometers and is now India's 33rd Elephant Reserve. It includes protected areas, forests, and important corridors to protect the country's wild elephant populations.

33rd Elephant Reserves in India

Terai Elephant Reserve, spanning 3049 square kilometers, marks India's 33rd Elephant Reserve, situated in Uttar Pradesh. It's the second reserve in the state. Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve in Tamil Nadu and Lemru Elephant Reserve in Chhattisgarh are India's 32nd and 31st Elephant Reserves, respectively.

MIKE Programme for Project Elephant

Following adopting a CITES resolution during the Conference of Parties, the Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) program was inaugurated in South Asia in 2003. MIKE's primary objective was to furnish essential information to the countries within the elephant's range to enable effective management of their elephant populations and ensure their long-term well-being. The MIKE program operates with the following overarching goals:
  1. Monitoring the extent and trends of illicit poaching activities and facilitating transformative measures for the protection of elephants.
  2. Identifying the underlying reasons for these shifts in patterns and assessing the ramifications of decisions made by CITES conference parties.

Elephant Task Force

Due to increasing conflicts between humans and elephants, the government formed the Elephant Task Force to find solutions for protecting elephants, similar to what was done for tigers. India is home to many wild elephants, but only about 1,200 male elephants remain, making them as endangered as tigers. These elephants face threats like habitat loss, conflicts with humans, and illegal ivory trade. Project Elephant has been successful in maintaining a stable elephant population in India, protecting them from these threats.

Campaign Haathi Mere Saathi

In collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India, the Ministry of Environment and Forests released the "Hathi Mere Sathi" campaign. This initiative aimed for public awareness and cultivate harmonious relationships between elephants and local communities. "Haathi Mere Saathi" centered its efforts on the welfare, conservation, and protection of India's precious elephant population. The campaign was launched in Delhi on May 24th, 2011, coinciding with the Elephant-8 ministerial meetings. The participating nations in the Elephant-8 ministerial meetings included Kenya, Sri Lanka, Botswana, the Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Indonesia, Thailand, and India, collectively dedicated to the cause of elephants' well-being.

Elephant Reserve in Kerala

Kerala, a state full of forests and hills, has important elephant reserves that protect its wild elephants. These reserves are peaceful places where elephants can live and breed safely. The reserves in Kerala also attract nature lovers and help raise awareness about the need to conserve elephants and their natural homes.

 
Other Related Links
Tiger Reserves in India National Parks in India
Biosphere Reserves in India Elephant Reserves in India

Elephant Reserves in India FAQs

Q1. What is an Elephant Reserve?

Ans. An Elephant Reserve is a dedicated area where the government of India focuses on the conservation and protection of wild elephant populations, their habitats, and migration routes.

Q2. How many Elephant Reserves are there in India?

Ans.  India had 33 Elephant Reserves spread across various states.

Q3. What is the purpose of Elephant Reserves?

Ans. The primary purpose of Elephant Reserves is the conservation of wild elephant populations and their habitats.

Q4. What activities are allowed in Elephant Reserves?

Ans.  Activities in Elephant Reserves are primarily geared towards conservation and sustainable development. Traditional and sustainable activities like agriculture, forestry, and ecotourism may be permitted in some areas.
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