Range-wide Status of Asian Elephants

As the second decade of the 21st century ticks by, Asian elephants remain endangered across their range. Although not yet extinct in any of the 13 range states, in five countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Nepal and Vietnam, the number of wild elephants in the entire country is less than 200 (Cao Thi Ly 2011; Islam et al. 2011; Jigme & Williams 2011; Pradhan et al. 2011; Zhang 2011), and in another three countries -, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, it is less than 1000 (Khounboline 2011; Maltby & Bourchier 2011; Lohanan 2001) (Table 1). In two countries, Indonesia (Sumatra) and Vietnam, elephants have recently crossed a threshold to become ‘critically endangered’ (Azmi & Gunaryadi 2011; Cao Thi Ly 2011). The situation in Sumatra is of the greatest concern as the Sumatran elephant is one of four unique sub-species. Local extinctions of elephant populations have probably occurred in all range states within the last decade. However, in India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, concurrently elephant range seems to be expanding in some areas, with elephants re-colonizing locations from which they have been absent for decades (Baskaran et al. 2011; Fernando et al. 2011; Jigme & Williams 2011). In many Southeast Asian range states exemplified by Myanmar and Cambodia, elephants are thought to be present in large areas, but no definitive data exists (Leimgruber et al. 2011; Maltby & Bourchier 2011).