UPSC Prelims 2020 Question:

With reference to Indian elephants

consider the following statements:

1. The leader of an elephant group is a female.
2. The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.
3. An elephant can normally go on calving till the age of 40 years only.
4. Among the States in India, the highest elephant population is in Kerala.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Explanations:

• • An elephant herd consists primarily of ten to twelve female elephants and young elephants. The herd is led by the oldest female. Male elephants stay with their herd until they are 14 to 15 years old. They then leave their herd and roam around on their own. So, statement 1 is correct.
    
    
  • Elephants are one of the largest land mammals in the world. They have the longest gestation period for any living mammal. African elephants are pregnant for an average of 22 months, while Asian elephants remain pregnant for 18 to 22 months.  So, statement 2 is correct.
    
    
  • Calving refers to the ability to give birth to young ones. Most females give birth for the first time at 16-17 years and in optimal habitats. Calving intervals are generally between 2.5-4 years. Female elephants can calve even after fifty years of age. So, statement 3 is not correct.
    
    

• According to the report, released by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in 2017, Karnataka has the highest number of elephants (6,049), followed by Assam (5,719) and Kerala (3,054). So, statement 4 is not correct.
  
  

Therefore, option (1) is the correct answer.

Relevance: Government of India released a “Compendium on Best practices of Human-Elephant Conflict Management in India” on eve of World Elephant Day, 2020

Subject: Environment | Biodiversity and Conservation