100 elephants died due to unnatural causes from 2013 to 2016: Minister

New Delhi : Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Mahesh Sharma on Friday said the population of elephants in the country was 27,312 in 2017 and added that from 2013 to 2016, around 100 elephants had died due to unnatural causes and 489 human lives were lost.

Replying to a question raised by CPI(M) Jitendra Choudhury during the Question Hour in Lok Sabha, Sharma said: "The member sought the number of elephant population. As per preliminary reports, it is 27,312 in 2017."

"As regards the number of poachings or the number of casualties of human beings and elephants, in the three years from 2013 to 2016, 100 elephants have died because of unnatural causes and around 489 human lives were also lost in the last year," he added.

He also said the government has taken initiatives to increase the compensation for loss of human lives and loss of crops due to man-animal conflict.