Feeding habits of Asian Elephants in tea gardens of Assam, India

Rapid forest loss and landscape fragmentation in Assam have increasingly forced Asian Elephants Elephas maximus into human modified habitats, particularly tea estates and agricultural area, intensifying human-elephant negative interaction (HENI). Understanding elephant feeding behaviour in such multi use landscapes is essential for interpreting habitat use and managing conflict risk. This study examined elephant feeding patterns in the high-conflict landscape of Udalguri District, Assam, using video-recorded feeding events collected during systematic field monitoring. Forage plant items were identified using photographic references and grouped into three functional categories comprising grasses, trees, and herbs. Feeding preferences were assessed using chi-square tests against equal use expectations. Elephant diets were strongly dominated by grasses, with occasional browsing on trees and herbs, indicating clear non-random use of food categories. Frequently consumed species included Albizia lebbeck, Coccinia grandis, Mikania sp., Ziziphus mauritiana, Tripsacum laxum, and Neolamarckia cadamba, while supplementary field observation recorded additional grasses (Cynodon dactylon, Chrysopogon aciculatus, Setaria spp.), trees (Bombax ceiba), herbs and climbers (Amaranthus spinosus, Desmodium triflorum). These findings demonstrate a marked dependence on grass assemblage habitats within tea-estate and highlight the need for awareness among people working in the tea-estate along with communities residing nearby.