Dehradun, Oct. 17 -- In a deeply disturbing development, yet another elephant has died in Haridwar Forest Division, making it the fourth such fatality within a span of just one week. The latest incident has intensified scrutiny over the operational effectiveness of the forest division, especially as it occurred barely a day after the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) released its DNA-based elephant census report, hailed as the first of its kind in the country. It may be pertinent to note here that the census estimates India now has 22,446 wild elephants, down from 29,964 in 2017, representing a decline of about 25 percent over eight years, which is a matter of grave concern.

While the forest authorities and wildlife institutions expresse...