RAS question
India's first DNA-based elephant census (SAIEE) conducted in 2025 estimated the elephant population at 22,446. Which state has the highest elephant population?
Correct answer: (D) Karnataka.
Karnataka has India's highest elephant population in SAIEE 2021-25, with an estimated 6,013 elephants.
Explanation
SAIEE 2021-25 estimated India's Asian elephant population at 22,446. The state-wise ranking makes Karnataka the clear leader with 6,013 elephants, ahead of Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The report also places the largest regional concentration in the Western Ghats, estimated at 11,934 elephants and mainly spread across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. That matters for the MCQ because the question is not asking which landscape has the most elephants, but which state does. Within that landscape and across the country, Karnataka is the highest-population state, so option D is the answer.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Kerala is part of the Western Ghats elephant landscape, but the report estimates it at 2,785 elephants, below Karnataka's 6,013.
- (B) Assam has the next major state population at 4,159 elephants, but it is still lower than Karnataka's estimate.
- (C) Tamil Nadu is a major Western Ghats state for elephants, but its estimate of 3,136 is well below Karnataka's.
Concept
This tests official wildlife population estimation under Environment and Ecology: national totals, state rankings and landscape-level distribution. In RAS, such facts recur because conservation reports are often converted into direct rank-and-number MCQs.