Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the commitment to protect elephants in the country

Expressing happiness at the rise in the number of elephant reserves in the last eight years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that India was home to about 60% of all Asian elephants.

In a series of tweets on the occasion of World Elephant Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the commitment to protect elephants. He also lauded the efforts of elephant conservationists.

The Prime Minister tweeted:

“On #WorldElephantDay, reiterating our commitment to protect the elephant. You would be happy to know that India houses about 60% of all Asian elephants. The number of elephant reserves has risen in the last 8 years. I also laud all those involved in protecting elephants.”

“The successes in elephant conservation must be viewed in context of the larger efforts underway in India to minimise human-animal conflict, and integrating local communities and their traditional wisdom in furthering environmental consciousness.”

Meanwhile, Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav announced that India was establishing one more Elephant Reserve. The reserve, Agasthiyamalai in Tamil Nadu, will add another 1,197 sq km of protected area dedicated to conservation of elephants, he said.

"I am very happy to share with you all that later today, India will witness the establishment of one more Elephant Reserve, Agasthiyamalai in Tamil Nadu, adding another 1,197 sq km of protected area dedicated to conservation of elephants," Yadav tweeted, sharing a video of his address at an event to mark the day.

World Elephant Day, observed on August 12 every year, seeks to raise awareness about the need to protect them and the steps that can be taken to ensure their survival. The first-ever World Elephant Day was observed in 2012.