Securing a Thriving Future for Asian Elephants
& Communities!

About the Secretariat

What is the Asian Elephant Secretariat?

A collaborative, knowledge-driven platform to protect Asian elephant habitats, enable coexistence, and restore their role as keystone species across Asia.

Purpose of the Asian Elephant Secretariat

Safeguarding the guardians of the forest: Elephants in the Wild and in Captivity

Enriching habitat and connectivity

AES restores and reconnects elephant habitats and corridors by integrating ecological restoration.

Reduce Human–Elephant Conflict

AES mitigates conflict through early-warning systems, rapid response teams, community-based coexistence initiatives, and evidence-driven policy action.

Advance Elephant Welfare Standards

AES coordinates welfare guidelines, veterinary response networks, and long-term rehabilitation systems to ensure the physical and psychological wellbeing of wild and captive elephants.

Harmonize Policies & Strengthen Regional Collaboration

AES provides a platform for unified policies, transboundary conservation agreements, and adoption of science-based guidelines across India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar.

Build a Knowledge-Driven, Technology-Enabled Conservation System

AES develops an AI-powered knowledge portal, centralized data repository, and real-time decision tools to accelerate research, improve community access to information, and support coordinated conservation action.

Asian Elephants at a Glance

Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are the largest land mammals in Asia, weighing 3,000–6,000 kg and standing up to 2.7 meters tall. With a 22-month gestation and a lifespan of nearly 48 years, they are among nature’s most extraordinary beings. Highly intelligent and deeply social, elephants show strong memory, empathy, complex communication, and even mourning rituals, living in matriarchal herds led by elder females. As keystone species, their movements shape forests, disperse seeds, and sustain biodiversity — making them vital to the health of entire ecosystems.

Why Elephant Matters?

Asian elephants are far more than magnificent creatures – they are the cornerstone of entire ecosystems and integral to human culture across Asia.

Cultural Inheritance

Deeply embedded in Asian cultures, elephants represent wisdom, strength, and good fortune, playing vital roles in religious ceremonies and traditional practices.

Keystone Species

Elephants shape entire ecosystems by creating clearings, dispersing seeds, and maintaining forest diversity. Their presence supports countless other species.

Emotional Bonds

Elephants display some of the most complex social behaviors in the animal kingdom. They grieve, show empathy, cooperate with one another, and remember faces and places for a lifetime. Their advanced emotional intelligence makes their loss not just ecological, but deeply ethical.