![UNDER PRESSURE](https://cdn.magzter.com/1422863343/1695280402/articles/09St-AfFk1695290490351/UNDER-PRESSURE.jpg)
ELEPHANTS ARE valued more in India than all other animals put together," says Anish Andheria, CEO of Wildlife Conservation Trust. "Lord Ganesha, the most worshipped and revered Hindu God, is half-human and half-elephant."
Sadly, revered status isn't keeping these animals safe. Elephants were declared the National Heritage Animal of India in 2010 and granted Schedule 1 status - the highest protection level in the country, on a par with tigers. But elephants and people are frequently coming into contact, leading to horrific flashpoints of violence in which both are losing their lives. "Around 1,400 human and 300 elephant casualties occurred in India due to human-elephant conflict between 2018 and 2020," Andheria explains, the figure not including captive elephants.
Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are listed as Endangered on the IUCN's Red List. Their numbers have declined by at least 50 per cent over the past three generations, largely due to habitat loss.
India is currently home to about 27,000 elephants, found in 17 states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. While conflict between elephants and people is often associated with the African species, and more attention in India is paid to issues around tigers, leopards and other big cats, human-elephant conflict (HEC) is at crisis levels in the country.
As in Africa, the key issue is the lack of space. India recently overtook China as the most populated country in the world and is now home to 1.43 billion people, one sixth of the global population. About 65 per cent of the country's people live in rural areas. Industrial projects, such as mines and dams, along with roads and the exploitation of forests for agriculture, firewood or livestock-grazing, have also depleted natural elephant habitat.
This story is from the October 2023 edition of BBC Wildlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2023 edition of BBC Wildlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![Does cloning create identical copies?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8803/1716439/Vb_Lkbu0d1717062793317/DOES-CLONING-CREATE-IDENTICAL-COPIES.jpg)
Does cloning create identical copies?
EMBRYOS ARE MADE OF STEM CELLS that divide to give rise to different types of cells, everything from skin to brain cells. Scientists once thought that reproductive cloning creating a genetically identical copy of an individual organism - would be impossible without using stem cells and that the path leading to mature 'differentiated' cells was irreversible. But clawed frogs proved them wrong...
![Tool-using animals](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8803/1716439/hwluFLaQL1717062561843/TOOLUSING-ANIMALS.jpg)
Tool-using animals
Our pick of 10 species that exhibit this special skill
![Mission Blue](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8803/1716439/msey_Um7h1717062059258/MISSION-BLUE.jpg)
Mission Blue
Sylvia Earle has dedicated her life to marine conservation; she tells BBC Wildlife why protecting the ocean is essential to all life on earth
![RESHARK](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8803/1716439/4WTJ1nKUm1717061551623/RESHARK.jpg)
RESHARK
The world's first shark rewilding initiative has seen zebra sharks released in the waters of Indonesia's Raja Ampat archipelago
![ON DECK](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8803/1716439/TTrIkWV3d1717060328409/ON-DECK.jpg)
ON DECK
Ferries aren't just for transport, they're also perfect vessels for conservation
![IT'S A COLOURFUL LIFE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8803/1716439/oVdVKdZUo1717059886893/ITS-A-COLOURFUL-LIFE.jpg)
IT'S A COLOURFUL LIFE
Delve into the unique and complex biology of the clownfish, arguably the world's most famous fish
![BAHAMAS BENEATH](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8803/1716439/3lAjwmDVz1717059124266/BAHAMAS-BENEATH.jpg)
BAHAMAS BENEATH
A dive into the waters of this famous island nation with the creatures that call it home
!["To save the reef, we need everybody involved"](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8803/1716439/OTNfMgqH31717057774256/TO-SAVE-THE-REEF-WE-NEED-EVERYBODY-INVOLVED.jpg)
"To save the reef, we need everybody involved"
Indigenous peoples may hold the key to protecting the Great Barrier Reef
![SPINNING AROUND](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8803/1716439/TLC9GHepA1717057580645/SPINNING-AROUND.jpg)
SPINNING AROUND
Going around in circles proves fruitful for this filter-feeder
![BLINDED BY THE LIGHT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8803/1716439/8cQgtwfLI1717057312949/BLINDED-BY-THE-LIGHT.jpg)
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
On balmy evenings, amorous beetles put on a spellbinding show in North American forests