Elephant Resurgence Brings Peril to Central India Locals

According to a recent study, the success of conservation efforts to revive the Asian elephant population in Central India has led to an influx of 250-300 elephants into the landlocked state of Chhattisgarh since 2000. While this may seem like a positive development for the endangered species, it has also proven hazardous and even lethal for some locals.

Despite Chhattisgarh being home to only 1% of India's elephants, the state has seen 15% of the country's elephant-related human deaths during the study period. The Forest and Climate Change Department has also reported that 80 elephants died in the six years leading up to 2024.

The increase in elephant population has been driven by habitat loss in neighboring states, forcing the animals to resettle in areas they once inhabited before going locally extinct in the 1920s. However, the forests in Chhattisgarh have since been fragmented, leading to more frequent encounters between elephants and humans as the animals navigate these disrupted landscapes in search of food.

To help balance the protection of people and elephants, local volunteer groups are taking action, using GPS tracking, social media alerts, and other methods to warn locals of nearby elephant sightings and document crop damage. Experts have also called for investment in community-based programs and land planning that enables larger, contiguous forests to thrive for uninterrupted animal roaming.