New Delhi: Human deaths caused by elephants and elephant deaths have increased in recent years across Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, with habitat degradation, fragmentation, water scarcity and infrastructure projects affecting elephant movement and pushing the animals closer to human settlements, according to a new technical report by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
It seeks to provide a regional framework to address human-elephant conflict across the four states. The report also examined the impact of infrastructure projects on elephant habitats. These projects have affected areas where elephants have recently begun using habitats, increasing the risk of road and train collisions. The report recommended wildlife overpasses and underpasses in vulnerable stretches. In Kerala, highways, railway lines, hydropower and irrigation projects, along with tourism infrastructure, resorts and expanding pilgrimage sites, have affected elephant habitats. In Tamil Nadu, highway upgrades, tourism infrastructure, contour canals and flume channels have also been flagged for their impact on elephant habitats and corridors. The report recommended a landscape-level approach to managing conflict, protection of critical corridors, physical barriers combined with community measures, better compensation mechanisms, stronger monitoring and research, and an inter-departmental task force to coordinate action across agencies.
The report, titled Regional Action Plan for Comprehensive Understanding & Management of Human-Elephant Conflict in South India, was launched by the environment ministry in Visakhapatnam on August 13 as part of World Elephant Day 2026 celebrations. The report analysed five-year data on human deaths caused by elephants and elephant deaths between 2019-20 and 2023-24. It found that human deaths fluctuated but reached their highest level in 2023-24, while elephant deaths showed an overall rise during the period. State-wise data showed in 2023-24, the number of human deaths caused by elephants was 59 in Tamil Nadu, 48 in Karnataka, 27 in Kerala and only six in Andhra Pradesh. In Andhra Pradesh, it flagged highway expansion projects, including NH-716 (Tirupati-Kadapa), NH-71 and the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway, and railway doubling projects on the Renigunta-Balepalli and Tirupati-Pakala-Katpadi routes.
