India’s first DNA-based nationwide elephant census has pegged the wild population at 22,446, marking a sharp drop from earlier estimates of nearly 30,000. Because this count uses genetic mark-recapture methods, it is not directly comparable to prior visual or dung-based counts; instead, it establishes a new baseline for future surveys. The report reveals that more than half of India’s elephants—11,934—reside in the Western Ghats, with other significant populations in the Northeast, Shivalik-Gangetic plains, and Central/Eastern Ghats. Statewise, Karnataka leads with 6,013 elephants, followed by Assam (4,159), Tamil Nadu (3,136), Kerala (2,785) and Uttarakhand (1,792). The decline is attributed not just to population loss but to methodological change, habitat fragmentation, loss of corridors, and rising human-elephant conflicts. Experts warn that fragmented forests, infrastructure development (roads, railways), and shrinking corridors endanger genetic flow, forcing elephants into human settlements. Moreover, rising conflicts have led to deaths by electrocution, train collisions, and retaliatory killings, putting both elephant and human lives at risk. Looking ahead, conservation strategies must prioritize landscape connectivity, community partnerships, conflict mitigation, and integrating the new census into periodic monitoring. The way forward demands urgent, coordinated action.