When we talk about elephants, one will always remember The Elephant Whisperers, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards. Did you know India is home to nearly 60% of the world’s wild elephant population, with 33 Elephant Reserves and 150 identified Elephant Corridors, as per the 2023 Report on Elephant Corridors in India?
Assam, the Northeastern state alone, has an estimated 5,828 elephants, according to the latest count of the pachyderm and the Elephant Population Estimate 2024 released by the Assam Chief Minister on January 2, 2025.
To reaffirm the global commitment to conserve one of the planet’s most iconic species—the elephant—and to strengthen measures to ensure their long-term survival, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, will organise the World Elephant Day celebration on August 12 in Coimbatore.
The event will be inaugurated by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, in the presence of Union MoS Kriti Vardhan Singh and Thiru R. S. Rajakannappan, Minister for Forests and Khadi, Government of Tamil Nadu. Senior officials from MoEF&CC, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, the Ministry of Railways, and other states will participate, as per the Press Information Bureau, Government of India.
Tamil Nadu, known for its biological and cultural richness, sustains a significant population of elephants and plays a vital role in mitigating human-elephant conflict. The Coimbatore event will serve as a platform for foresters, policymakers, civil society representatives, and wildlife experts to exchange ideas on conservation strategies and conflict resolution.
