Study finds rising stress levels among elephants of south Bengal

A new scientific study has revealed that Asian elephants inhabiting the fragmented forest landscapes of south Bengal are experiencing significantly higher physiological stress compared to their counterparts in Northeast and Southern India.

- BISWABRATA GOSWAMI

The findings, published in Scientific Reports, a Nature group journal, underscore how human encroachment, habitat fragmentation, and aggressive conflict mitigation tactics are severely impacting the well-being of these endangered giants.

Titled, "Physiological responses in free-ranging Asian elephant populations living across human-production landscapes," the study assessed the stress and metabolic states of elephants by analysing faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM) - a biomarker for physiological stress - and faecal triiodothyronine (fT3), which reflects metabolic rate. Researchers examined three distinct free-ranging elephant populations: one from central India (spanning West Midnapore and Kharagpur forest divisions of West Bengal) and two from the Northeastern region (covering Gorumara, Jalpaiguri, Jaldapara, and Buxa).