A five‑year GPS tracking study by the Assam Forest Department and WWF‑India has illuminated the movement patterns and habitat use of wild elephants across Assam’s forests, tea plantations, agricultural lands and riverine landscapes.
From 2021 to 2026 the team fitted GPS collars on four female‑led herds and a solitary male in Udalguri, Sonitpur and Biswanath districts, all of which experience human‑elephant conflict.
The collars produced more than 38,000 location points, offering detailed insight into seasonal movements across shared landscapes. The data revealed that protected areas and reserve forests remained primary habitats for most of the year, but female herds expanded their home ranges during the paddy‑cropping season, heightening conflict.
The findings were compiled in the report “Tracking the Giants: Movement and Habitat‑Use Patterns of GPS‑Collared Elephants in Assam,” released by Environment Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah during the 72nd Wildlife Week in Guwahati. The study identified Sonai Rupai, Behali and Bornadi wildlife sanctuaries as key habitats and highlighted tea plantations as important movement corridors.
Researchers also observed elephants using river channels to travel north‑south between Himalayan foothill forests and Brahmaputra grasslands, and recorded transboundary movement into Bhutan’s Jomotsangkha Wildlife Sanctuary during the dry season. The study underscores the need for coordinated conservation efforts and mitigation measures to reduce risks to both people and elephants.
