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In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
 Logo of Project Elephant | |
| Elephant conservation overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1992 |
Parent department | Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India |
| Website | moef |
| Wildlife of India |
|---|
 |
Project Elephant is a wildlife conservation movement initiated in India to protect the endangered Indian elephant. The project was initiated in 1992 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of the Government of India to provide financial and technical support to the states for wildlife management of free-ranging elephant populations. The project aims to ensure the long-term survival and viability of elephant populations in their natural habitats by protecting the animals, their habitats and migration corridors. The project also facilitates research of ecology and management of elephants, creating awareness of conservation among local people, and providing veterinary care for captive elephants.
Project Elephant was initiated in 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of the Government of India. The project was initiated to protect the Indian elephant and its habitats and to establish dedicated elephant reserves for sustaining elephant populations.[1] The project was established to provide financial and technical support to the states with free ranging elephant population for the protection of the animals, their habitats and migration corridors. It was also intended to address human-animal conflict and promote welfare of captive elephants.[2] The project has been implemented in 22 States and union territories of India. The project also undertakes activities aimed at constructing infrastructure and other facilities for conservation like veterinary care, field force training, necessary capture and translocation of wild elephants. With regards to captive elephants, the project aims to ensure the well being of such elephants including providing veterinary care, training of mahouts and supervisory staff.[1]
Another important aim of the scheme is to prevent poaching of wild elephants. Project Elephant has been formally implementing MIKE (Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants) programme of CITES since January 2004. It facilitates taking suitable measures like deployment of patrolling squads, intelligence gathering, maintaining data on illegal hunting and to determine factors responsible for poaching and to take appropriate measures to mitigate the same.[1] Project Elephant also facilitates various research activities through the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) such as developing crop varieties not favored by elephants, developing elephant-proof storage bins for food grains and developing elephant repellents in order to reduce human-animal conflicts.[3] It has also engaged in research regarding disease-management in captive elephants and efficacy of immuno-contraceptives on domesticated elephants with Assam Agricultural University, monitoring and tracking of elephants with Wildlife Institute of India.[3] Project Elephant also promotes eco-tourism for generating extra revenue for the welfare of captive breeding programmes for elephants, organizes courses for veterinarians and mahouts dealing with domesticated elephants and in promoting awareness on elephant conservation across communities.[3]
The first exclusive exercise for enumeration of wild elephants in the elephant reserves was conducted in 2005. This exercise also sought to experiment with two sampling methods, viz. Block sampling and Line transect-Dung Count. As per the elephant population survey conducted in 2017, the population of wild elephants in the country has increased to 29,964 as compared to 27,669-27,719 in 2007.[1][4] The estimated wild population in India accounted for nearly three-fourths of the extant population.[5] However, a census conducted on a new DNA-based method estimated the population to have declined to 22,446 individuals in 2025.[6][7]
There are about 138 identified elephant corridors in India with the majority of the elephant population in India is restricted to four general areas.[8][9]
| Region | Areas | Corridors | Area (km2) | Elephant population (2017) | Percentage of elephant population (2017) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North-East | From the eastern border of Nepal in northern West Bengal through western Assam along the Himalaya foothills as far as the Mishmi Hills, extending into eastern Arunachal Pradesh, the plains of upper Assam, and the foothills of Nagaland, to the Garo Hills of Meghalaya through the Khasi Hills, to parts of the lower Brahmaputra plains and Karbi Plateau; isolated herds occur in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, and in the Barak Valley districts of Assam | 58 | 41,000 | 10,139 | 33.8% |
| East | In Odisha, Jharkhand, and in the southern part of West Bengal, with some animals wandering into Chhattisgarh | 54 | 23,500 | 3,128 | 10.4% |
| North | At the foot of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, ranging from Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary to the Yamuna River | 8 | 5,500 | 2,085 | 7.0% |
| South | Eight populations are fragmented from each other in northern Karnataka, in the crestline of Karnataka–Western Ghats, in Bhadra–Malnad, in Brahmagiri–Nilgiris–Eastern Ghats, in Nilambur–Silent Valley–Coimbatore, in Anamalai–Parambikulam, in Periyar–Srivilliputhur, and one in Agasthyamalai | 46 | 40,000 | 14,612 | 48.8% |
As of 2023, 33 Elephant Reserves (ERs) extending nearly 80,778 square kilometres (31,189 sq mi) across 14 states have been formally notified.[10][11][12]
| Reserve Name | Range | Estd. | State | Total area (km²) |
Population (2005) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayurjharna | East-Central | 2002 | West Bengal | 414 | 96 |
| Singhbhum | East-Central | 2001 | Jharkhand | 13,440 | 371 |
| Mayurbhanj | East-Central | 2001 | Orissa | 3,214 | 465 |
| Mahanadi | East-Central | 2002 | Orissa | 1,038 | 464 |
| Sambalpur | East-Central | 2002 | Orissa | 427 | 284 |
| Badalkhol-Tamorpingla | East-Central | 2011 | Chhattisgarh | 1,143 | NA |
| Lemru | East-Central | 2022 | Chhattisgarh | 1,995 | NA |
| Kameng | Kameng-Sonitpur | 2002 | Arunachal Pradesh | 1,892 | NA |
| Sonitpur | Kameng-Sonitpur | 2003 | Assam | 1,420 | 612 |
| Dihing-Patkai | Eastern-South Bank | 2003 | Assam | 937 | 295 |
| South Arunachal | Eastern-South Bank | 2008 | Arunachal Pradesh | 1,957 | 129 |
| Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong | Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong-Intanki | 2003 | Assam | 3,270 | 1,940 |
| Dhansiri-Lungding | Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong-Intanki | 2003 | Assam | 2,740 | 275 |
| Intanki | Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong-Intanki | 2005 | Nagaland | 202 | 30 |
| Singphan | Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong-Intanki | 2018 | Nagaland | 24 | NA |
| Chirang-Ripu | North Bengal-Greater Manas | 2003 | Assam | 2,600 | 658 |
| Eastern Dooars | North Bengal-Greater Manas | 2002 | West Bengal | 978 | 300-350 |
| Garo Hills | Meghalaya | 2001 | Meghalaya | 3,500 | 1,047 |
| Mysore | Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats | 2002 | Karnataka | 8,056 | 4,452 |
| Dandeli | Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats | 2015 | Karnataka | 2,321 | NA |
| Wayanad | Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats | 2002 | Kerala | 1,200 | 636 |
| Nilgiri | Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats | 2003 | Tamil Nadu | 4,663 | 2,862 |
| Rayala | Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats | 2003 | Andhra Pradesh | 766 | 12 |
| Nilambur | Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats | 2002 | Kerala | 1,419 | 281 |
| Coimbatore | Brahmagiri-Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats | 2003 | Tamil Nadu | 566 | 329 |
| Anamalai | Anamalai-Nelliampathy-High Range | 2003 | Tamil Nadu | 1,457 | 179 |
| Anamudi | Anamalai-Nelliampathy-High Range | 2002 | Kerala | 3,728 | 1,726 |
| Agasthyamalai | Periyar-Agasthyamalai | 2022 | Tamil Nadu | 1,198 | NA |
| Periyar | Periyar-Agasthyamalai | 2002 | Kerala | 3,742 | 1,100 |
| Srivilliputtur | Periyar-Agasthyamalai | 2003 | Tamil Nadu | 1,249 | 638 |
| Shivalik | North-Western | 2003 | Uttarakhand | 5,405 | 1,510 |
| Uttar Pradesh | North-Western | 2009 | Uttar Pradesh | 744 | NA |
| Terai | North-Western | 2022 | Uttar Pradesh | 3,072 | NA |
| Total | 80,778 | 20,391 | |||
the DNA-based method, used for the first time to estimate elephants, may be treated as a new monitoring baseline for further research.
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Project Elephant is a wildlife conservation movement initiated in India to protect the endangered Indian elephant. The project was initiated in 1992 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of the Government of India to provide financial and technical support to the states for wildlife management of free-ranging elephant populations. The project aims to ensure the long-term survival and viability of elephant populations in their natural habitats by protecting the animals, their habitats and migration corridors. The project also facilitates research of ecology and management of elephants, creating awareness of conservation among local people, and providing veterinary care for captive elephants.
The Amboseli Elephant Research Project is a long-term research project on the ethology of the African elephant, operated by the nonprofit Amboseli Trust for Elephants. The project studies the elephant's social behavior, age structure and population dynamics. It is the longest running study of elephant behavior in the wild, and has gathered data on life histories and association patterns for more than 2,000 individual elephants. The research project was initiated in 1972 by Cynthia Moss and Harvey Croze in Amboseli National Park in the south of Kenya. Relatively few poachers have been active in Amboseli Park's approximately 390 km² area. This is especially due to the Maasai people, and the constant presence of tourists and researchers. Thus, Amboseli is one of the few regions in Africa where the age structure of elephants has remained undistorted. The area is monitored by game wardens and scientists throughout the year. The subjects of the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, mostly notably the elephant matriarch Echo, have been described at length in documentaries on PBS and Animal Planet.
The Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) is one of three extant recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, native to mainland Asia. It has a convex back and the highest body point on its head, exhibits significant sexual dimorphism with a male reaching an average shoulder height of about 2.75 m (9 ft 0 in) and weighing 4,000 kg (8,800 lb). A female reaches an average shoulder height of about 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) and weighs 2,700 kg (6,000 lb). It has a broader skull with a concave forehead, two large laterally folded ears and a large trunk. It has smooth grey skin with four large legs and a long tail. The Indian elephant is native to mainland Asia with nearly three-fourth of the population in India. It also occurs in Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Southeast Asian countries including Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam with a small population in China. It inhabits grasslands, dry deciduous, moist deciduous, evergreen and semi-evergreen forests across the range. It is classified as a megaherbivore and consumes up to 150 kg (330 lb) of plant matter per day. Its diet depends on the habitat and seasons and includes leaves and twigs of fresh foliage, thorn-bearing shoots, flowering plants, fruits and grass. Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List as the wild population has declined by at least 50% over the last three elephant generations. It is threatened by environmental degradation, habitat loss and fragmentation. Poaching for ivory is a serious threat in some parts of Asia. Project Elephant was launched in 1992 by the Government of India to protect elephant habitats and population. The Indian elephant is a cultural symbol throughout its range and appears in various religious traditions and mythologies. It is treated positively and is revered as a form of Ganesha in Hinduism. It has been designated the national heritage animal in India and is the national animal of Thailand and Laos.
Nilambur Elephant Reserve is a wildlife reserve in Kerala, India. It has a total area of 1419 (sq. km2) and was created in 2002 as part of Project Elephant. The reserve is one of four in Kerala; the state having an elephant population of 5706 in 2018.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →The Greenwood District.
