India, Oct. 15 -- All's not well with India's elephants. A population estimation exercise by the Wildlife Institute of India (Status Of Elephants in India: DNA based synchronous all India population estimation of elephants or SAIEE) has suggested a disturbing decline in their number: The 2025 count is 22,446, 17% lower than in 2017, when the count was 27,312; incidentally, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha in 2024 that the India's pachyderm population, as per a synchronised estimation, was 29,964. These surveys are not comparable because of methodological differences. Experts have also said that the DNA model may have underestimated the elephant count. These counters are valid, but there is enough and more evidence to be concerned about t...