Archive · 12 Aug 2026
World Elephant Day 2026: India's best parks to see elephants
August 12 is a special day called World Elephant Day.
On this day, people all over the world think about elephants and how to protect them.
India is a very important place for elephants because more than half of all wild Asian elephants live there.
That is more than 60 out of every 100 elephants in the world!
Scientists counted about 22,446 wild elephants living in India's forests.
Elephants live in special protected places called national parks.
Five of the best parks to see them are Kaziranga, Jim Corbett, Periyar, Bandipur and Nagarhole.
In these parks, elephants eat grass, drink water and play near lakes and rivers.
But elephants have some hard problems, like people building roads and houses where they live.
That is why people celebrate World Elephant Day — to remind everyone to take care of elephants and keep their homes safe.
World Elephant Day is observed every year on August 12, with 2026 marking this year's celebration.
India is home to more than 60 per cent of the world's wild Asian elephants, with an estimated 22,446 wild elephants spread across nearly 400,000 square kilometres.
The top five national parks for elephant sightings are Kaziranga (Assam), Jim Corbett (Uttarakhand), Periyar (Kerala), Bandipur (Karnataka) and Nagarhole (Karnataka).
Karnataka has India's highest elephant population of over 6,000, while the broader Western Ghats ecosystem supports more than 11,000 elephants.
Asian elephants are endangered, facing threats from habitat fragmentation, infrastructure development and human-elephant conflict, though Project Elephant has helped maintain viable populations.
- Who
- People around the world observing World Elephant Day 2026; India, home to more than 60 per cent of the world's wild Asian elephants.
- What
- The observance of World Elephant Day 2026, featuring India's top five national parks for spotting wild elephants and highlighting elephant conservation efforts.
- When
- August 12, 2026.
- Where
- India — Kaziranga National Park (Assam), Jim Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand), Periyar National Park (Kerala), and Bandipur and Nagarhole National Parks (Karnataka).
- Why
- To raise awareness of elephant conservation, as Asian elephants are endangered and face habitat fragmentation, infrastructure development and human-elephant conflict.
- Event
- World Elephant Day 2026
- Date
- August 12, 2026
- India's wild elephant population
- Estimated 22,446 (All India Synchronous Elephant Estimation)
- Share of world's wild Asian elephants
- More than 60 per cent
- Elephant habitat area in India
- Nearly 400,000 square kilometres
- State with highest elephant population
- Karnataka (over 6,000 elephants)
- Asian elephant status
- Endangered
- Featured national parks
- Kaziranga, Jim Corbett, Periyar, Bandipur, Nagarhole