19 elephants died in Tamil Nadu in first six months of 2026

CHENNAI: Nineteen elephants died in Tamil Nadu during the first six months of this year, with 18 deaths attributed to natural causes and one to an accident, according to a Daily Thanthi report.

Officials said post-mortem and investigation reports for all elephant deaths have been submitted to the Central government as mandated under the elephant conservation programme.

Elephant population rises

According to the 2025 elephant census, Tamil Nadu has 3,170 elephants, up from 3,063 recorded in 2024.

Around 70 per cent of the State's elephant population is found in the forest areas of the Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts. Officials said the growing population has also increased the need to expand elephant habitats.

Most elephant deaths recorded in Nilgiris, Erode

A senior Forest Department official said that of the 19 elephant deaths recorded between January and the end of June this year, eight each occurred in Mudumalai in Nilgiris district and Sathyamangalam in Erode district.

The official added that compared with the 127 elephant deaths recorded in 2025, the number of deaths has now declined, and efforts are continuing to reduce them further.