Over the past three years, elephant deaths due to train collisions, electrocutions, poaching, and poisoning have been on the rise, along with increasing human casualties from elephant attacks. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change informed the Rajya Sabha that 47 elephants were killed in train accidents across various states between 2021 and 2024, including 17 in 2023-24 and 15 each in the previous two years. This highlights the growing risks to wildlife as elephants stray beyond their natural habitats.
Electrocution has emerged as the biggest threat, with 258 elephants killed this way over the last three years, including 100 in 2022-23 alone. Poaching also remains a concern, claiming 27 elephant lives, while poisoning accounted for 11 deaths in the same period. At the same time, human casualties from elephant attacks have surged from 549 in 2021-22 to 629 in 2023-24, totaling 1,783 deaths in three years. These incidents reflect the intensifying human-elephant conflict, largely driven by habitat destruction and encroachment.
In response to these alarming figures, the government has identified and validated 150 elephant corridors across 15 states to ensure safe passage for the animals and mitigate conflicts. These corridors aim to reduce encounters between humans and elephants, providing a dedicated space for the animals to move freely without endangering human settlements or infrastructure.
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