Amaravati: India continues to be the global stronghold for wild Asian elephants, with the latest DNA-based population assessment by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) estimating the country’s wild elephant population at 22,446. On World Elephant Day, NewsMeter takes a closer look at India’s elephant population and conservation efforts. India home to nearly half of world’s wild Asian elephantsThe findings indicate that India is home to nearly half of the world’s remaining wild Asian elephants, underscoring the country’s critical role in conserving the endangered species. The southern states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala together support 11,934 elephants, accounting for more than 53 per cent of the country’s total wild elephant population. According to the assessment, Karnataka has the highest elephant population in India with 6,013 elephants, followed by Assam with 4,159.