Key Points

The findings were announced by Forests and Khadi Minister R.S. Raja Kannappan during Wildlife Week celebrations in Chennai.

The report shows that the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve recorded the highest elephant density in the state, followed by the Gudalur Forest Division and Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

Minister Raja Kannappan said the steady growth underscores Tamil Nadu's long-term investment in protecting the gentle giants through a combination of scientific monitoring and community engagement.

"This steady growth reflects Tamil Nadu's commitment to wildlife management that is both science-driven and people-centric," the minister said while unveiling the report.

Officials highlighted the state's proactive initiatives, including the declaration of elephant reserves, large-scale habitat restoration, removal of invasive species, and social support schemes for mahout families, such as the dedicated Mahout Villages at Mudumalai and Anamalai.

Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forests, noted that Tamil Nadu had declared the Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve, notified the Thanthai Periyar and Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuaries, and expanded protection to more than 2.8 lakh hectares of elephant habitat.

Technology-driven approaches -- such as real-time tracking and surveillance -- have also been scaled up to prevent conflict and safeguard corridors.

The synchronised estimation was conducted jointly with Karnataka between May 23 and 25 to ensure uniform data across shared elephant landscapes.

Covering 26 forest divisions, including tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, territorial divisions and one national park, the survey engaged over 2,000 forest personnel and volunteers.

Data was collected using three standard scientific methods -- block count, line-transect (dung count), and waterhole count -- across 681 sample blocks covering 3,261 sq km.

The overall elephant density was found to be 0.35 per sq km. Adults comprised 44 per cent of the total population, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.77 and an adult female-to-calf ratio of 1:0.50.

Senior officials, including Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Srinivas R. Reddy and Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra, said the results underline the need to intensify habitat restoration, corridor protection, conflict mitigation and local community participation to sustain the upward trend in the state's elephant numbers.

- IANS