The Asian Elephants' survival in the Indian sub-continent is critical to the survival of the entire species in South East Asia. Home to almost 60% of the remaining elephant population; India continues to be plagued with problems of large numbers of elephants being held in captivity for:

These animals are made to survive in squalid and dismal conditions,unsuitable for these gentle giants of the forest. Working conditions for the captive elephants are also harsh & unfriendly. Working in captivity involves several kilometers of walking on hot tarmac and through crowded streets where temperatures on the road surface rise to close to 50"C during the summer months. 

India is home to more than 4000 captive elephants as per official records. However in reality the actual number of captive elephants is estimated to be more than 5000, considering that several of these animals are illegally kept by the owners without any proper documents. The largest number of captive elephants are found in the Northern State of Assam followed by the Southern State of Kerala and the contiguous forests extending to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Legal status of the “Captive Elephants” in India

Captive Elephants never got the desired protection from wildlife & animal laws as they were clubbed with domestic cattle as a legal category.  It is only in the recent past that the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 received amendments which protected the elephants in the wild and indirectly extended the protection to the captive elephants, recognizing the need for protecting them too.

Please click here to know more about Wildlife S.O.S’s efforts to help Captive Elephants in India