Human-elephant conflict logs more deaths in southern India
South India Faces Growing Human-Elephant Conflict, New Report Reveals
Bharatmorningnews.com – A comprehensive technical study conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India highlights a troubling trend: both human fatalities and elephant mortality rates have climbed in recent years across Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. The research attributes this escalation to deteriorating habitats, fragmented landscapes, limited water resources, and expanding infrastructure that disrupt elephant migration routes and draw these majestic creatures nearer to human communities.
Report Launch and Scope
Environment ministry officials unveiled the document, formally named the Regional Action Plan for Comprehensive Understanding & Management of Human-Elephant Conflict in South India, in Visakhapatnam on August 13. This launch coincided with World Elephant Day 2026 observances. The initiative aims to establish a unified regional strategy for tackling human-elephant tensions spanning all four southern states.
Five-Year Statistical Analysis
Examining records from 2019-20 through 2023-24, researchers discovered that while human fatalities fluctuated, they peaked during the most recent reporting period. Conversely, elephant mortality demonstrated a consistent upward trajectory throughout the five-year span.
During 2023-24 alone, 130 people lost their lives due to elephant encounters across the four states, marking the highest figure in the examined timeframe. Previous years recorded 113 deaths in 2019-20, 84 in 2020-21, 99 in 2021-22, and 110 in 2022-23.
On an average, 109 human deaths happen annually in the region with maximum human deaths reported from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and least from Andhra Pradesh. Also, the conflict cases in terms of reported human deaths appear to be on the rise in the last four years.
Elephant mortality followed a different pattern, climbing from 38 recorded deaths in 2019-20 to 50 by 2023-24. The intervening years showed 39 deaths each in 2020-21 and 2021-22, with 41 fatalities in 2022-23.
Root Causes of Increasing Conflict
The study identifies multiple factors compelling elephants into human-dominated spaces. Severe habitat degradation, attractive agricultural crops cultivated in villages bordering forests, and habitat fragmentation that severs traditional elephant pathways all contribute to this phenomenon.
The rising incidence of elephants straying into human-use areas is largely driven by severe habitat degradation, the lure of attractive crops grown in forest fringe villages, and the fragmentation and disconnection of habitats that force elephants into areas of human use.
State-Wise Breakdown and Expert Insights
Regional statistics for 2023-24 reveal Tamil Nadu recorded 59 human fatalities, Karnataka 48, Kerala 27, and Andhra Pradesh just six. Regarding elephant deaths during the same period, Tamil Nadu experienced 16, Karnataka 14, while both Andhra Pradesh and Kerala each saw 10 fatalities.
Professor Raman Sukumar, an esteemed elephant specialist and National Science Chair at the Indian Institute of Science, provided crucial context regarding Andhra Pradesh’s comparatively low human death toll.
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have a 45-fold and 20-fold the elephant population of Andhra, yet the number of human deaths in the former is nowhere close to the magnitude seen in the latter state. Andhra thus experiences much higher levels of conflict for its much smaller elephant population which is a legacy of a dispersal into the state which began in 1983 following the El Nino-related drought of 1982. The number of human deaths in the southern states has been increasing over the years as more elephants come out of the forested habitats into agriculture and settlements, a pattern seen widely across the country in recent decades.
Infrastructure Impact on Elephant Habitats
The report extensively documented how development projects disrupt elephant ecosystems. In Andhra Pradesh, highway expansions including NH-716 connecting Tirupati to Kadapa, NH-71, and the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway, alongside railway doubling initiatives on Renigunta-Balepalli and Tirupati-Pakala-Katpadi corridors, have compromised recently utilized elephant territories. These developments heighten collision risks with vehicles and trains, prompting recommendations for wildlife overpasses and underpasses in critical zones.
Karnataka faces challenges from substantial dam constructions such as Tunga, Bhadra, Hemavati, Linganamakki, and Supa, which have submerged vital elephant habitats. Additionally, NH-75 upgrades between Bengaluru and Mangaluru have fragmented essential corridors, though night-time traffic restrictions have been implemented in certain regions.
Kerala’s elephant habitats face pressure from highways, railway networks, hydropower installations, irrigation schemes, tourism facilities, resorts, and expanding pilgrimage destinations. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu contends with highway improvements, tourism infrastructure, contour canals, and flume channels affecting elephant movement patterns.
The comprehensive report advocates for a landscape-level management strategy, emphasizing critical corridor protection, physical barriers integrated with community engagement, and sustainable development practices that accommodate both human needs and elephant conservation.
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