30 Years, 101 Elephant Corridors Built Across India

A young boy once spent four hours trapped in a watchtower at Jim Corbett National Park, waiting for a charging elephant to finally move on. That boy grew up to become Vivek Menon, the man who would dedicate his life to helping elephants move safely through India.

Today, Menon's Wildlife Trust of India has created 101 elephant corridors across the country. These pathways connect fragmented forests, allowing herds to travel between habitats without crossing through villages or farmland where deadly conflicts often occur.

The work didn't start with grand plans. Menon, originally from Kerala ("the land of elephants"), filled his childhood bedroom with rescued birds and small animals. When he chose zoology over his father's hopes for an automobile engineering career, nobody was surprised.

His passion grew into action through five conservation organizations. TRAFFIC India, which he co-founded with legendary conservationist Ashok Kumar, fights illegal wildlife trade and ivory poaching. The effort earned him the RG Samsara Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

But Menon believes creating lasting change requires more than activism. As Chair of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group for the IUCN for 12 years, he advises governments on infrastructure planning. His work ensures new highways and railways include safe crossings for elephant migration routes.

The Ripple Effect

The corridors do more than protect elephants. They reduce human-wildlife conflict that claims lives on both sides, preserve genetic diversity by connecting isolated populations, and protect entire ecosystems that depend on elephants as keystone species.

When interviewed from a South African jungle where he was helping radio-collar elephants, Menon joked about the interruption. He'd rather be watching 150 elephants against the Zimbabwe sunset. After 30 years, his love for these giants hasn't dimmed.

The relationship appears mutual. Anyone who watches Menon with elephants can see the understanding between them. His childhood instinct to shelter vulnerable creatures has simply scaled up.

Today, at 56, he continues expanding the network of safe passages. Each corridor represents years of negotiation with landowners, government officials, and local communities. Each one means elephant families can travel ancient migration routes without fear.

One determined conservationist has proven that building bridges between human and animal worlds creates space for both to thrive.