Daily Current Affairs Update: 29th March, 2023

DNA Profiling of Elephants

While celebrating the 30 years of ‘Project Elephant’, the MoEF&CC has announced the completion of the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) Profiling of 270 elephants, aiming at ensuring better protection.

What is Project Elephant?

The Government of India introduced Project Elephant in 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the following goals:
- To safeguard elephants, their habitat, and migration routes
- To address problems of animal-human conflict
- Elephant welfare in captivity
The Project is primarily being carried out in 16 States / UTs. Major elephant range states in the country receive financial and technical assistance through Project Elephant from the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change.

DNA Profiling of Elephant

The DNA profiling was started in August 2022 for Gaj Soochna Mobile Application for forest officials.
The DNA profiling will act as the ‘Adhaar card of captive elephants’.
After the elephant profiling, more focus can be put on elephant care – with unique information about elephants.
With the mobile app, forest officers can identify each elephant and track it and therefore its transfer, which often happens in the case of captive elephants, can be recorded.
After the elephant profiling, more focus can be put on elephant care – with unique information about elephants.

Elephants in India

India has the largest and the most stable population of Asian elephants.
In fact, India is home to more than 60% of all wild Asian elephants.
The number of 29,964 elephants were registered in the most recent elephant census, which was conducted in 2017.

Elephant – The National Heritage Animal

The government of India in the year 2010 declared Elephant as the national heritage animal of the country on the recommendations of the standing committee of the national board for wildlife.
This was done to make sure that sufficient protection to elephants was provided before their numbers fall to panic levels like in the case of tigers.

About Asian Elephants

Global Population: Estimated 20,000 to 40,000.
The Indian subspecies has the widest range and accounts for the majority of the remaining elephants on the continent.
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered.
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.
CITES: Appendix I

Initiatives for protecting elephants

Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme
Haathi Mere Saathi
Elephant Task Force
Elephant - 8 Ministerial Meeting
As notified by the government, there are around 32 elephant Reserves in India. The very first elephant reserve or elephant sanctuary was the Singhbhum Elephant Reserve of Jharkhand.

State	Elephant Reserves
Uttrakhand	Shivalik Elephant Reserve
Uttarpradesh	Uttar Pradesh Elephant Reserve
West Bengal	Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve
Jharkhand	Singhbhum Elephant Reserve
Orissa	Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve Mahanadi Elephant Reserve Sambalpur Elephant Reserve Baitami Elephant Reserve South Orissa Elephant Reserve
Chhattisgarh	Lemru Elephant Reserve Badalkhol – Tamor Pingla Elephant Reserve
Arunachal Pradesh	Kameng Elephant Reserve
Assam	Sonitpur Elephant Reserve
Assam	Dihing-Patkai Elephant Reserve
Arunachal Pradesh	South Arunachal Elephant Reserve
Assam	Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Elephant Reserve Dhansiri-Lungding Elephant Reserve
Nagaland	Intanki Elephant Reserve
Assam	Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve
West Bengal	Eastern Dooars Elephant Reserve
Meghalaya	Garo Hills Elephant Reserve Khasi-hills Elephant Reserve
Karnataka	Mysore Elephant Reserve
Kerala	Wayanad Elephant Reserve Nilambur Elephant Reserve
Tamil Nadu	Coimbatore Elephant Reserve Nilgiri Elephant Reserve
Andhra Pradesh	Rayala Elephant Reserve
Tamil Nadu	Annamalai Elephant Reserve
Kerala	Anamudi Elephant Reserve
Kerala	Periyar Elephant Reserve
Tamil Nadu	Srivilliputhur Elephant Reserve