Elephants in Kerala culture

The native elephants of Kerala are Indian elephants (Elephas maximus indicus), one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant. Since 1986, Asian elephants have been listed as endangered by the IUCN, with the worldwide population declining by at least 50% over the last three generations, now estimated to be between 25,600 and 32,750 in the wild. Preeminent threats include by habitat fragmentation, degradation, and loss, human-elephant conflict (HEC), and poaching, as human populations increase globally.

Estimates of the number of wild elephants in Kerala vary, with an official 2024 census estimating just under 1,800 elephants. Prior estimates (using significantly different estimation techniques) include 4,286 wild elephants according to a 1993 census, and 5,706 according to a 2017 census. There appears to be some disagreement as to which techniques yield the most accurate estimates, with factors such as elephant migration patterns to nearby states potentially affecting wild elephant counts.

Along with a considerable population of wild elephants, in 2025 Kerala has about 400 captive elephants, down from more than 500 in 2018. Most captive elephants in Kerala are owned by temples or individuals, with some owned by the government forest department. Privately-owned elephants are most commonly used in festivals and religious ceremonies, though some are made to work in timber logging or otherwise kept as pets or status symbols. Animal activists in the region have alleged that some captive elephants in Kerala and southern India are frequently subject to abuse or poor living conditions.

Elephants in Kerala are often referred to as the "sons of the sahya" (cf. poem "Sahyante Makan" by Vyloppalli Sreedhara Menon). As the state animal, the elephant is featured on the emblem of the Government of Kerala, taken from the royal arms of both Travancore and Cochin. It is believed by some that an elephant that has been captured in the wild, and tamed, will never be accepted by other wild elephants, a claim contested by some activists.