Human deaths due to attacks by megafauna like elephants and tigers have seen opposite trajectories in the last four years, an analysis by the State of India’s Environment (SOE) 2025 has revealed.
While human deaths due to encounters with elephants increased between 2020-21 and 2023-24, tiger attack deaths saw a decline in the same period, as per SOE 2025.
The report, published every year by DTE, is a comprehensive documentation of the year’s major developments and happenings in a wide range of subjects and issues — ranging from climate change, waste management and the pandemic to air and water pollution, industrial contamination and food.
The Annual State of India’s Environment 2025 report is available here on sale.
Human fatalities caused by elephants were 464 in 2020-21 as per the SOE 2025. They rose to 545 in 2021-22, 605 in 2022-23 and 629 in 2023-24, as per the analysis by Rajit Sengupta and Kiran Pandey from the Centre for Science and Environment and DTE.
Human fatalities caused by elephant attacks increased in at least 10 states between 2020-21 (April to March) and 2023-24, with an overall rise of approximately 36 per cent.
In 2023-24, three states—Odisha (154 deaths), West Bengal (99 deaths) and Jharkhand (87 deaths)—accounted for more than half of all deaths resulting from elephant attacks
Meanwhile, elephant deaths have increased over the past two years, primarily due to electrocutions.
In 2019-20, 99 elephants died. Seventy-six died due to electrocution, nine in poaching attacks and 14 in train accidents. The next year, 93 animals died, 65 in electrocution incidents, 14 due to poaching, 2 in poisonings and 12 in train accidents.
In 2021-22, 57 electrocutions, 4 poaching incidents, 6 poisonings and 15 train accidents led to 82 elephant deaths.
In the next year, the number rose to 133 (100 electrocutions, 14 poaching incidents, 4 poisonings and 15 train accidents).
In 2023-24, 121 elephants died (94 electrocutions, 9 poaching incidents, 1 poisoning and 17 train accidents).
Human deaths due to tiger attacks, on the other hand, decreased 58 per cent in 2023 over 2022.
“In 2023, India witnessed an unusual spike in tiger deaths. Additionally, the country has yet to determine the cause of a significant number of tiger deaths for every year since 2019,” the SOE 2025 noted.