KOCHI: While farmers allege that rising elephant population is the reason for increasing human-wildlife conflict in Kerala, an analysis of the wild elephant deaths paint a different picture. As many as 827 wild elephant deaths have been reported in Kerala forests since 2019 and only 30 of them have died of old age. Diseases, infighting, accidents and predation keep elephant population dwindling in Kerala forests.
According to farmers, 28 people have been killed by wild elephants in the state since January 1, 2025. But environmentalists say the rising human-wild elephant conflict is driven by degradation of forests that drive the jumbos to human habitations.
“Since the introduction of Project Elephant, we have been able to keep the population stable. But the mortality rate is high due to diseases, turf war, predation and accidents. Around 40% of elephant calves die of Elephant endotheliotropic herpes viruses (EEHV) infection.
Calves, sub-adults and weak elephants are killed by predators. Continuous monitoring has helped reduce hunting but conflict in forest fringes causes stress to the elephants,” said a senior forest officer.
As many as 11 wild elephants have been killed by predators in Kerala forests in 2025 (till August 12). The figure is high compared to 13 incidents of predation in 2024. But 51 elephants have died of natural causes like accidents. Compared to captive elephants, the life expectancy of wild elephants is low.
While captive elephants have an average life span of 70 years, the life expectancy of wild elephants is only 50 years. As per the enumeration report published by the forest department in 2024, there are only 1,793 wild elephants in Kerala. A census conducted in 2023 had counted 1,920 wild elephants in the state.
”The forests of the Western Ghats have turned into graveyards of wild elephants. The degradation of forest forces wild elephants to enter human habitations in search of food.
Fragmentation of forest, destruction of habitat and encroachment of elephant corridors leave the animals stressed. Stress is built up because of human intrusions happening inside forest stretches in the form of illegal tourism activities, mining and linear intrusions in the name of convenience and profit motive,” said M N Jayachandran of Coexistence Collective, an NGO.