Photo Feature
National Animal vs. National Heritage Animal
<p>Elephants occupy 45 per cent of all tiger reserves in India. Both iconic species have, however, experienced substantial global population declines and habitat reduction, by prompting the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to classify them as ‘Endangered’. The success of Project Tiger was instrumental in setting up Project Elephant in 1992. However, to quote a paper published in MDPI, an open-access publisher, ‘<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/12/1055" target="_blank">Shared Landscapes: Optimising Conservation Strategies Using Tiger and Elephant Sympatry in India</a>’: “‘Project Elephant’ declared a series of ‘Elephant Reserves’ but unlike the tiger reserves, the large intervening spaces between sanctuaries and national parks are not ‘legally protected’ and do not have protection under the 1972 Wildlife (Protection) Act. Thus, the elephant reserves are simply management units without any legal mandate but formally notified by various State Governments.” Photo: Shivaee Chavan/Sanctuary Photolibrary</p>