India's wild elephant population has dropped by 18% since 2017
India's first-ever DNA-based elephant census just revealed the country's wild elephant population has dropped by approximately 18% since 2017.
The latest count in 2025 found only 22,446 elephants, down from over 27,000 eight years ago.
This new method used dung samples for genetic analysis—giving conservationists a clearer picture of what's happening on the ground.
Census conducted in Karnataka, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala
Researchers used genetic fingerprinting, forest surveys, and satellite mapping to get more accurate numbers.
Most elephants are still found in the Western Ghats (about 12,000) and Northeast India (over 6,500).
Karnataka leads all states with more than 6,000 elephants—followed by Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
Human-elephant conflict remains a major issue
Even though India is home to over half of the world's Asian elephants, their habitats are shrinking fast due to construction and people moving into forest areas.
The census also showed herds getting split up in central and eastern regions.
With more humans sharing space with elephants, human-elephant conflict remains a major issue—making conservation efforts a continued priority for these gentle giants.