The All-India Synchronous Elephant Estimation (SAIEE) 2025, India’s first-ever DNA-based elephant census has been  released.

About the All-India Synchronous Elephant Estimation (SAIEE) 2025

• It is India’s first-ever DNA-based elephant census, conducted to accurately estimate the wild elephant population.
• Conducted by: Jointly by the Environment Ministry, Project Elephant, and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
• Survey Methodology:
• • Dung DNA Sampling: 21,056 dung samples collected from 6.7 lakh km of forest trails and 3.1 lakh dung plots.
  • Genetic Identification: Used DNA fingerprinting to identify 4,065 unique elephants, applying the mark-recapture model for population estimation.
  • Technology Use: Ground surveys via M-Stripes app, satellite-based habitat mapping, and DNA analysis formed the three-phase process.
• Survey Timeline: Conducted from 2021 to 2025, with a delay due to the complexity of genetic data validation.

Key Findings of SAIEE 2025

• Population Estimate: India’s wild elephant population stands at 22,446, with a range of 18,255–26,645.
• Decline: Represents an 18% drop from the 2017 estimate of 27,312 elephants.
• Regional Distribution:
• • Western Ghats: 11,934 elephants — the largest population.
  • Northeast & Brahmaputra Floodplains: 6,559 elephants.
  • Shivalik Hills & Gangetic Plains: 2,062 elephants.
  • Central India & Eastern Ghats: 1,891 elephants.

Scientific Significance

• First DNA-Based Count: Marks a paradigm shift from traditional block-count or dung density methods to genetic identification, improving accuracy and reducing duplication errors.
• Baseline for Conservation: Provides a scientific benchmark for future population monitoring and policy formulation under Project Elephant.
• Integration of Technology: Demonstrates the use of remote sensing, mobile data collection, and molecular ecology in wildlife census methodologies.

Conservation Concerns

• Habitat Loss: Rapid encroachment, infrastructure development, and deforestation continue to fragment elephant habitats.
• Human-Elephant Conflict: Increasing incidents due to habitat shrinkage pose major challenges for coexistence.
• Population Fragmentation: Smaller, isolated herds in central and eastern India signal potential genetic bottlenecks and reduced breeding success.

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About Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus)

• Subspecies: Indian, Sumatran, and Sri Lankan.
• Global Population: Estimated 20,000–40,000.
• Habitat: Tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia).
• Characteristics: 
  • Physical Traits: Smaller ears, arched back, convex or twin-domed head.
  • Social Structure: Matriarchal herds; strong family bonds.
  • Diet: Herbivorous – grasses, fruits, bark, roots.
• Threats: Habitat loss and fragmentation, Human Elephant Conflict, Poaching.

Indian Elephant

• The Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) is the most widely distributed among the three Asian elephant subspecies.
• Distribution: Apart from India, they are found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• Habitat: Grasslands, dry and moist deciduous forests, evergreen forests.
• Recognized as India’s National Heritage Animal.
• Conservation Status: 
  • Listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List
  • Protected under Appendix I of CITES and 
  • Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

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