Elephant rides at Amer Fort see 70 per cent drop in seven years

People take an elephant ride a day before World Elephant Day, at Amer Fort, in Jaipur. PIC/PTI

The popularity of elephant safaris at the historic Amer Fort here has declined sharply, with the number of tourists opting for elephant rides falling by around 70 per cent in seven years, according to official records.

As many as 1,64,608 tourists opted for elephant safaris in 2018-19, but the numbers fell to 48,474 in 2025-26, a decline of more than one lakh visitors.

The data from the fort administration showed that 1,08,378 tourists took elephant rides in 2019-20. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number fell to 2,922 in 2020-21.

The figure rose to 9,560 in 2021-22, 54,514 in 2022-23, 79,090 in 2023-24 and 67,018 in 2024-25 before declining again to 48,474 in 2025-26.

The figures assume significance ahead of World Elephant Day, observed on August 12 to raise awareness about elephant conservation and welfare.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever