The savoury flower of elephant foot yam and how it's loved in Goa

The exotic flower is eaten widely in the rural parts of the state for a few days before the advent of monsoon

73 elephants, 4 lions run over by trains in 4 years along with 63,000 other animals: CAG report

Report found that preventive measures circulated to zonal railways to prevent animal deaths had not been implemented even after 10 years

Elephant electrocution deaths: Odisha gives Rs 445 cr to power DISCOMS to prevent live wire snare

Electric wire trap poaching is a growing concern in the state; at least seven elephants have died in the last 10 months 

Human-driven speciation: A peek into how we may alter the morphology of African elephants

Anthropogenic activities such as global warming, poaching, mining, deforestation and noise pollution will form a more wrinkly, hairier, tuskless, …

Landscape-level approach necessary to address human-elephant conflicts

A study involving close monitoring of elephants on daily basis for two years in Karnataka has concluded that landscape-level management is …

How solar-powered fences mitigated human-elephant conflict in Assam

A biologist employed with a non-profit in the North East describes her organisation’s efforts at reducing negative encounters between …

Why should only jumbos matter?

The outrage over the death of a pregnant elephant in kerala highlights our skewed notion of biodiversity and its conservation 

Elephant dies after falling in a pit at Patanjali project site in Assam

A total of three elephants fell in the pit, prompting questions on allocation of land in a possible elephant corridor to the company

Save Africa’s forest elephants if you want the Congo rainforest to continue capturing carbon: Study

World’s second-biggest rainforest could lose 6-9 % of its carbon capture ability, if the forest elephant goes extinct, says Saint Louis …

World elephant day: Recent killings show Odisha’s elephants live in constant danger

The elephant mortality rate has gone up alarmingly: The average deaths per year was 33 in 1990-2000, 46 in 2001-2010 and 76 since 2010.

On same day, 3 elephants die in 2 Odisha districts

The development has raised concerns among forest officials and animal conservationists  

Tusker dies after being allegedly poisoned by villagers in Angul

Conservationists blame inadequate patrolling by forest officials and a lack of monitoring for the poisoning of a tusker in Odisha

How did elephants evolve such a large brain? Climate change is part of the answer

The evolutionary history of elephants is interesting. It parallels humans’ in many ways

Seal them within 48 hours: SC to TN govt on illegal private resorts in the Nilgiris

The resorts have been built in the major elephant corridor in the area, something that the court was especially displeased about

Bihar adds elephant centre to Valmiki Tiger Reserve, experts see challenges

Centre in Valmiki Tiger Reserve will provide perfect natural habitat but increase human-animal conflicts, conservationists say

Jumbo graveyard: Odisha registers 282 elephant deaths since 2018

As many as 2 Bengal tigers and 15 leopards also died in the state in the same period  

World Elephant Day 2023: Merger of its Project with that of the tiger seems to be a matter of administrative convenience

Elephants’ management should progress towards achieving clearly outlined long term aims and goals

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (April 18, 2023)

Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal  

Can changing crop pattern foil elephant raids to farmlands?

Farmers in eastern Indian states are replacing paddy with alternative crops to prevent elephant attacks. The question is can this experiment be …

Elephants continue to die: CAG slams forest department, railways in its audit

Some 61 elephants died due to rail collisions between 2016 and 2019, according to CAG, due to non-compliance with norms

Committee must take steps to curb elephant deaths by trains in Kerala, Tamil Nadu: NGT

Committee to work in coordination with the Railways, Wildlife Institute of India as well as Kerala and Tamil Nadu

Ahead of CITES CoP18, Botswana tries to lift ban on ivory trade

It is trying to mobilise other Southern African countries to come to a common consensus on how to deal with the rising population of elephants

Hong Kong to ban ivory trade

The city is a key link in the ivory trafficking trade and provides a strategic transit hub into mainland China

Six elephants die of haemorrhagic septicaemia in a fortnight in Odisha’s Karlapat Sanctuary

All bodies were found along the Ghusurigudi nullah, leading experts to think the water is contaminated

African countries square up for battle over future of ivory trade ban

Southern African nations are seeking permission to trade inivory, in direct opposition to the wishes of their northern neighbours