Supreme Court directs MoEFCC, CEHWC submit captive elephant DNA report
India's Supreme Court just told the environment ministry and elephant welfare committee to get serious about tracking captive elephants.
They have directed the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) and the Captive Elephant Healthcare and Welfare Committee (CEHWC) to submit a comprehensive status report on DNA profiling of all captive elephants and the uploading of data on the Gajah Suchana app.
Plus, there's a push for regular renewal of ownership certificates.
Government captive elephant counts mismatch
Here is the catch: official numbers do not add up. The government says there are 2,725 captive elephants in 2026, but the category-wise figures in the MoEFCC note add up to 2,984.
Oddly, private owners' numbers have not changed since 2019, raising eyebrows over possible underreporting.
The Court is also pushing for better health care and living standards for these gentle giants (think special clinics and proper housing), putting their well-being above paperwork drama.
They will check back on progress in October.