Only 1,325-1,648 wild elephants left in Indonesia, government says

By Dyna Rochmyaningsih for Mongabay, Aug 25, 2026

Mongabay reports, “A new 10-year plan for elephant conservation released by the Indonesian government places the country’s wild elephant population at an estimated 1,325-1,648 individuals.

“The previous figure, published in 2007, was 2,400-2,800 individuals, meaning the new estimate represents a decline of 41-45%.

“The launch of the 2026-2036 strategy and action plan comes after a long wait. After the 2007-2017 elephant plan expired, the government was supposed to release a new one. While a draft 2019-2029 plan was completed in 2017, then-President Joko Widodo’s administration never finalized the plan or shared it with the public.

“The draft 2019-2029 plan, seen by Mongabay, placed Indonesia’s elephant population at just 928-1,379 individuals, Mongabay reported in 2022…” Read the whole Mongabay report here.

Featured image: Sumatran elephant by Fieni Aprilia for Mongabay

Related:

• https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/saving-sumatran-elephants-starts-with-counting-them-indonesia-wont-say-how-many-are-left/