Elephant reserves in India are protected landscapes established under Project Elephant — India's flagship programme for elephant conservation launched in 1992.
India is home to the world's largest population of Asian elephants — with over 29,000 individuals — and has designated 33 elephant reserves covering approximately 80,777 sq. km across 14 states. Questions on elephant reserve names, states, Project Elephant details, elephant corridors, and related conservation facts appear regularly in UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL, Banking, Railways, and State PSC exams under Environment and Ecology.
⚡ Quick Facts
- India has 33 designated elephant reserves covering ~80,777 sq. km across 14 states — the most extensive elephant conservation network in the world.
- Project Elephant was launched in 1992 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
- The Elephant is India's National Heritage Animal — designated in October 2010.
- Karnataka has the highest elephant population in India (~6,000–6,500) — followed by Assam (~6,000) and Kerala (~4,500). Mnemonic: KAK.
- India hosts approximately 60% of the world's Asian elephants (~29,000 of ~60,000 total). Asian Elephant = Endangered (EN) on IUCN; CITES Appendix I.
Project Elephant (1992) ≠ Project Tiger (1973) — don't swap the years. Tiger = 58 reserves (as of 2025); Elephant = 33 reserves. Mysore ER (Karnataka) = India's largest elephant reserve (~6,670 sq. km) — not Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong. Asian Elephant = Endangered (EN) — NOT Critically Endangered (that is the African Forest Elephant). 101 corridors is the older WWF-India study figure; more recent counts put it at 138+ — don't confuse with 33 reserves.
✅ My Progress Tracker
🐘 All 33 Elephant Reserves in India
| # ↕ | Elephant Reserve ↕ | State ↕ | Area (sq. km) ↕ | Region ↕ | Key Feature / Corridor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonitpur Elephant Reserve | Assam | 1,420 | Northeast | Northern Assam; connects Kaziranga NP to Arunachal Pradesh forests |
| 2 | Dihing Patkai Elephant Reserve | Assam | 1,007 | Northeast | Eastern Assam; Dihing Patkai National Park area; rainforest landscape |
| 3 | Dhansiri-Lungding Elephant Reserve | Assam | 699 | Northeast | Central Assam; connects north and south elephant habitats across the state |
| 4 | Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Elephant Reserve | Assam | 3,270 | Northeast | Largest elephant reserve in Assam; connects Kaziranga NP and Karbi Anglong Hills; NH 715 crossing issue |
| 5 | Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve | Assam | 1,528 | Northeast | Western Assam; Bhutan border; Manas NP ecosystem; trans-boundary corridor |
| 6 | Kameng Elephant Reserve | Arunachal Pradesh | 1,825 | Northeast | Kameng river basin; connects with Assam elephant habitats |
| 7 | South Arunachal Elephant Reserve | Arunachal Pradesh | 3,108 | Northeast | One of the largest NE reserves; connects with Assam and Myanmar — trans-boundary significance |
| 8 | Singphan Elephant Reserve | Nagaland | 492 | Northeast | Bordering Myanmar; Northeast trans-boundary corridor |
| 9 | Intanki Elephant Reserve | Nagaland | 202 | Northeast | Intanki National Park area; Nagaland's primary elephant reserve |
| 10 | Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve | West Bengal | 414 | East | Jhargram, West Midnapore; corridor connecting Odisha-Jharkhand populations |
| 11 | Garo Hills Elephant Reserve | Meghalaya | 3,500 | Northeast | East and West Garo Hills; Nokrek NP, Balpakram NP, Siju Wildlife Sanctuary; trans-boundary significance |
| 12 | Eastern Dooars Elephant Reserve | West Bengal | 1,073 | East | Dooars region; connects Assam and Bhutan elephant corridors |
| 13 | Singhbhum Elephant Reserve | Jharkhand | 4,596 | East | Largest elephant reserve in eastern India; Sal forests; Saranda — world's largest Sal forest |
| 14 | Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve | Odisha | 4,093 | East | Simlipal NP and buffer zone; connects Jharkhand-Odisha elephant populations |
| 15 | Mahanadi Elephant Reserve | Odisha | 2,750 | East | Satkosia and Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuaries; Mahanadi river valley landscape |
| 16 | Sambalpur Elephant Reserve | Odisha | 3,031 | East | Hirakud reservoir landscape; western Odisha; important HEC zone |
| 17 | South Odisha Elephant Reserve | Odisha | 4,655 | East | Connects Odisha–Andhra Pradesh; Eastern Ghats landscape; large contiguous habitat |
| 18 | Lemru Elephant Reserve | Chhattisgarh | 4,995 | Central | Korba-Surguja area; major coal mining vs conservation conflict zone; proposed reserve |
| 19 | Badalkhol-Tamorpingla Elephant Reserve | Chhattisgarh | 2,786 | Central | Korea district; connects with Jharkhand elephant habitats |
| 20 | Sanjay-Dubri Elephant Reserve | Madhya Pradesh | 2,981 | Central | Overlaps Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve; Rewa-Shahdol region of MP |
| 21 | Maraikottayam Elephant Reserve | Tamil Nadu | 1,127 | South | Anamalai Hills; Southern Western Ghats landscape |
| 22 | Nilgiri Elephant Reserve | Tamil Nadu | 1,157 | South | Nilgiri Hills; Mudumalai TR; Sathyamangalam WLS; key Western Ghats node |
| 23 | Anamalai Elephant Reserve | Tamil Nadu | 1,521 | South | Overlaps Anamalai Tiger Reserve; Western Ghats; significant elephant habitat |
| 24 | Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve | Tamil Nadu + Kerala | 3,508 | South | Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve; Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve; two-state reserve |
| 25 | Periyar Elephant Reserve | Kerala | 925 | South | Overlaps Periyar Tiger Reserve; Western Ghats; Thekkady; important for ecotourism |
| 26 | Nilambur Elephant Reserve | Kerala | 1,148 | South | Western Ghats corridor; connects Karnataka and Tamil Nadu elephant populations |
| 27 | Wayanad Elephant Reserve | Kerala | 1,127 | South | Critical tri-state corridor; connects Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala; part of most critical South India corridor |
| 28 | Rayala Elephant Reserve | Andhra Pradesh | 766 | South | Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary; Kolar Plateau; southeastern elephant population; AP's only elephant reserve |
| 29 | Shivalik Elephant Reserve | Uttarakhand | 5,405 | North | Uttarakhand's only elephant reserve; includes Rajaji NP & Corbett TR landscape; Shivalik Hills; Corbett-Rajaji corridor |
| 30 | Terai Elephant Reserve | Uttar Pradesh | 3,049 | North | India's 33rd (latest) elephant reserve (notified 2022); Dudhwa-Pilibhit landscape; trans-boundary population with Nepal |
| 31 | Mysore Elephant Reserve | Karnataka | 6,670 | South | India's largest elephant reserve; Nagarhole-Bandipur-BRT corridor; highest tiger AND elephant density in India |
| 32 | Dandeli-Anshi Elephant Reserve | Karnataka | 847 | South | Overlaps Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve; North Karnataka; Kali river landscape |
| 33 | Brahmagiri-Nilgiris-Eastern Ghats ER | Karnataka + Kerala + TN | 5,592 | South | Tri-state mega corridor; most critical South India elephant landscape; Coorg-Wayanad-Nilgiris |
| State | Approx. Elephant Population | No. of Reserves | Key Reserves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karnataka 🥇 | 6,000–6,500 | 3 | Mysore (largest in India), Dandeli-Anshi, Brahmagiri |
| Assam 🥈 | 5,700–6,000 | 5 | Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong (largest in Assam), Chirang-Ripu |
| Kerala 🥉 | 4,000–4,500 | 3 | Periyar, Wayanad (critical corridor), Nilambur |
| Uttarakhand | 2,000–2,500 | 1 | Shivalik ER (includes Rajaji NP + Corbett TR landscape) |
| Tamil Nadu | 2,500–3,000 | 4 | Nilgiri, Anamalai, Agasthyamalai, Coimbatore/Maraikottayam |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 1,800–2,000 | 2 | South Arunachal, Kameng |
| Odisha | 1,900–2,000 | 4 | South Odisha, Sambalpur, Mayurbhanj, Mahanadi |
| West Bengal | 700–800 | 2 | Eastern Dooars, Mayurjharna |
| Jharkhand | 650–700 | 1 | Singhbhum (largest in eastern India) |
| Andhra Pradesh | 600–700 | 1 | Rayala ER (Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary) |
| Madhya Pradesh | 600–700 | 1 | Sanjay-Dubri |
| Chhattisgarh | 350–400 | 2 | Lemru, Badalkhol-Tamorpingla |
| Nagaland | 200–250 | 2 | Singphan, Intanki |
| Meghalaya | 1,700–2,000 | 1 | Garo Hills ER (Nokrek NP, Balpakram NP) |
| Uttar Pradesh | 200–300 | 2 | UP Elephant Reserve, Terai ER (Dudhwa-Pilibhit) |
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Launched | 1992 |
| Launched by | Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) |
| Objective | Protect elephants, their habitat, and migration corridors; address Human-Elephant Conflict; welfare of captive elephants |
| National Heritage Animal | Elephant designated as India's National Heritage Animal in October 2010 |
| Number of reserves | 33 elephant reserves |
| Total area | ~80,777 sq. km across 14 states |
| Largest reserve | Mysore Elephant Reserve, Karnataka (~6,670 sq. km) |
| Elephant population (India) | ~29,000–30,000 (~60% of world's Asian elephants) |
| Elephant corridors | 138+ elephant corridors identified (WTI/MoEFCC 2023 update); older WWF-India study cited 101 |
| IUCN status | Endangered (EN) |
| CITES status | Appendix I (highest protection; no commercial trade) |
| Gaj Yatra | Nationwide awareness campaign; "Gaj" = elephant in Hindi |
| Gajraj | Central database for captive elephants; linked to Project Elephant |
| MIKE Programme | Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants; CITES programme; India participates |
| # | Corridor | States | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayanad–Nilambur–Mysore–Mallapuram | Kerala + Karnataka + Tamil Nadu | Most critical South India corridor; connects Western Ghats populations |
| 2 | Nilgiris–Eastern Ghats | Tamil Nadu + Karnataka + AP + Odisha | Longest elephant corridor in India; crosses multiple state boundaries |
| 3 | Kaziranga–Karbi Anglong | Assam | Critical highway-crossing corridor; NH 715 cuts through; most dangerous |
| 4 | Chirang–Manas | Assam + Bhutan | Trans-boundary corridor; connects India–Bhutan elephant populations |
| 5 | Corbett–Rajaji | Uttarakhand | Himalayan foothills; highway and settlement pressure |
| 6 | Singhbhum–Saranda | Jharkhand + Odisha + WB | Eastern India corridor; Sal forest dominated |
| 7 | Brahmagiri–Nilgiris | Karnataka + Kerala + Tamil Nadu | Tri-state; connects Coorg, Wayanad, Nilgiris in one landscape |
| 8 | Anamalai–Cardamom Hills | Tamil Nadu + Kerala | Southern Western Ghats; Periyar–Anamalai connection |
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Definition | Conflict when elephant habitats overlap with human settlements — crop raiding, property damage, fatalities |
| Annual human fatalities | ~400–500 per year across India from HEC |
| Annual elephant fatalities | ~100 elephants killed per year in HEC incidents |
| Most affected states (east) | Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam |
| Most affected states (south) | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka |
| Railway deaths | Trains kill ~20+ elephants annually; slow speed zones and detection systems being implemented |
| Main cause | Habitat fragmentation; corridors blocked by roads, railways, dams, and farm encroachments |
| Mitigation | Elephant-proof trenches; chilli-smoke fences; early warning SMS systems; solar electric fences |
| Kaziranga highway | NH 715 through Kaziranga = major HEC zone; Supreme Court directed speed limits and underpasses |
⚖️ Compare Two Elephant Reserves
📝 Key Notes & Memory Tips
Project Tiger was launched in 1973 under PM Indira Gandhi — currently has 58 Tiger Reserves (as of 2025). Project Elephant was launched in 1992 — has 33 Elephant Reserves. Both are centrally sponsored schemes under MoEFCC. Tiger Reserves have stricter statutory protection under Wildlife (Protection) Act. Elephant Reserves are primarily connectivity and corridor-focused — they can overlap with national parks, tiger reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries. Mnemonic: "Tiger 1973 (58 reserves); Elephant 1992 (33 reserves)".
Karnataka has the highest elephant population in India (~6,000–6,500) and is home to India's largest elephant reserve — Mysore Elephant Reserve (~6,670 sq. km). The Mysore reserve encompasses the famous Bandipur-Nagarhole-BRT corridor — one of the world's most important landscapes for both tigers AND elephants. The same landscape hosts the highest density of both species in India. Top 3 states (KAK): Karnataka → Assam → Kerala.
The Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List — NOT Critically Endangered (that is the Javan and Sumatran rhinos). CITES lists it under Appendix I — the highest protection level prohibiting any commercial trade. India hosts approximately 60% of the world's Asian elephants (~29,000 of ~60,000 total globally). The Elephant was designated as India's National Heritage Animal in October 2010.
HEC is one of India's most serious conservation challenges. Approximately 400–500 people and 100 elephants are killed each year in conflict incidents. Odisha, West Bengal, and Jharkhand have the highest HEC incidence in eastern India; Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the south; Uttarakhand in the north. Main driver = habitat fragmentation — elephants need up to 1,000 sq. km for a herd to roam, and blocked corridors force them into human areas. Trains kill ~20+ elephants annually.
The Kaziranga–Karbi Anglong corridor is one of the most dangerous elephant corridors in India — elephants must cross National Highway 715 (formerly NH 37) to move between Kaziranga NP and the Karbi Anglong Hills. This highway crossing kills several elephants annually. The Supreme Court has directed speed limits and wildlife underpasses. The Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Elephant Reserve (3,270 sq. km) is the largest in Assam. The Assam government's challenge is balancing highway development with elephant movement.
Largest elephant reserves in India:
"Mysore Mega (6,670 sq. km) | Brahmagiri Big (5,592) | South Odisha Significant (4,655) | Singhbhum Strong (4,596)"
Top 3 elephant states:
"KAK — Karnataka (~6,500) → Assam (~6,000) → Kerala (~4,500)"
Project Elephant vs Project Tiger:
"Tiger 1973 (58 reserves) | Elephant 1992 (33 reserves) | Both under MoEFCC"
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Project Elephant was launched in 1992 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) as a centrally sponsored scheme to protect elephants, their habitats, and migration corridors. It predated the Asian Elephant's designation as India's National Heritage Animal in 2010. India has 33 elephant reserves covering ~80,777 sq. km across 14 states.
Karnataka has the highest elephant population in India (~6,000–6,500 elephants) and is home to India's largest elephant reserve — the Mysore Elephant Reserve (~6,670 sq. km), which encompasses the Bandipur-Nagarhole-BRT corridor. This landscape also supports the highest density of tigers in India, making it a dual flagship conservation landscape.
The Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and is listed under CITES Appendix I — the highest protection level preventing any commercial trade. India hosts approximately 60% of the world's remaining Asian elephant population (~60,000 total globally). The Elephant was also designated as India's National Heritage Animal in October 2010.
The Wayanad–Nilambur–Mysore–Mallapuram elephant corridor is the most critical elephant corridor in South India. It connects the elephant populations of the Western Ghats across Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu — forming a continuous forest landscape essential for genetic exchange and movement of the region's 7,000+ elephants. Disruption by roads, plantations, and human settlements is a major conservation concern.
India has 33 designated elephant reserves covering approximately 80,777 sq. km across 14 states — making it the world's most extensive elephant conservation network. The 33 reserves include major landscapes like Mysore ER (Karnataka), Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong ER (Assam), Singhbhum ER (Jharkhand), and Brahmagiri-Nilgiris ER (tri-state). India also has 101 identified elephant corridors connecting these reserve landscapes.
✅ Key Takeaways
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Project Elephant is India's flagship conservation programme for the Asian elephant, launched in 1992 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). It aims to protect elephants, their habitats, and migration corridors; address human-elephant conflict; and improve the welfare of captive elephants. The project designated 33 elephant reserves across 14 states covering approximately 80,777 sq. km. The elephant was recognised as India's National Heritage Animal in October 2010. India hosts approximately 60% of the world's wild Asian elephant population — approximately 29,000–30,000 individuals.
India has 33 designated elephant reserves as of 2026. The largest is the Mysore Elephant Reserve in Karnataka, covering approximately 6,670 sq. km — it encompasses the famous Bandipur-Nagarhole-BRT tiger and elephant landscape. The second largest by landscape is the Brahmagiri-Nilgiris-Eastern Ghats corridor spanning Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu (~5,592 sq. km). The largest in eastern India is the Singhbhum Elephant Reserve in Jharkhand (~4,596 sq. km), which covers the Saranda Sal forest.
Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) occurs when expanding human settlements, agriculture, and infrastructure encroach on elephant habitats and migration corridors, forcing elephants into contact with human populations. In India, approximately 400–500 people and about 100 elephants are killed in HEC incidents every year — making India one of the most conflict-affected countries in the world for this issue. States most affected include Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. The main driver is habitat fragmentation — roads, railways, dams, and farm encroachments block the large territories elephants need to roam.
Elephant reserves are tested in UPSC Prelims (Environment and Ecology), SSC CGL, Banking GK, and State PSC exams — especially in states with large elephant populations. Key patterns include: Project Elephant year (1992), number of reserves (33), largest reserve (Mysore, Karnataka), highest elephant population state (Karnataka), IUCN status (Endangered), CITES status (Appendix I), National Heritage Animal year (2010), and key corridors (Wayanad-Nilambur-Mysore, Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong). Human-elephant conflict statistics and the elephant corridors count (101 per older study; 138+ per WTI/MoEFCC 2023) are also tested in current affairs sections.
