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India is home to one of the world largest populations of Asian Elephants and their survival is closely intertwined with the lives and the livelihood of peoples sharing the same landscape. Over the years increasing pressure from expanding settlements, agriculture, infrastructure and fragmentation of elephant habitats has intensified human elephant conflict across several parts of the country. Wildlife Institute of India and Project Elephant Division- MoEECC works on the long-term trend of human elephant conflict in the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and West Bengal.

The report was released on the World Elephant Day (12-13 August 2026) celebrated in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh by Hon'ble Minster of State Sri Kirti Vardhan Singh and Shri Konidela Pawan Kalyan, Deputy Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh.

The detailed state-wide report provides a comprehensive understanding of Human-Elephant conflict across on information on Elephant mortality, Human Casualties, Spatial Hotspots, seasonal patterns and major causes of conflict. The findings indicates that the conflict is not uniform, but it is concentrated in specific landscape and linked to recurring pressure such as habitat fragmentation, railway-road, electric infrastructure and expanding human habitations. By identifying these hotspots and the factors driving losses, the report provides important evidence best for prioritizing interventions strengthening early warning and rapid response system, improving infrastructure safety, and enabling coordinated actions among forest departments, local communities and other agencies.