India’s wild elephant population drops 25% in 8 years: DNA study
India’s wild elephant population has declined by 25% in eight years, according to the country’s first DNA-based elephant census. The 2025 All-India Synchronous Elephant Estimation pegs the population at 22,446, down from 29,964 in 2017. Conducted using DNA from 21,056 dung samples, the study highlights growing habitat loss and human-elephant conflict across India.