Subtracting 4-digit numbers

Your book, Maths Mela (Chapter 10), says Assam has 5719 elephants. That is 3965 more than Meghalaya. So Meghalaya has fewer: we take away 3965 from 5719. First estimate: about 6000 - 4000 = 2000.

Subtract in a Th-H-T-O table, starting with the ones. Ones: 9 - 5 = 4. Tens: 1 - 6 cannot be done, so take 1 hundred and change it into 10 tens. Now 11 - 6 = 5, and 6 hundreds are left. Hundreds: 6 - 9 cannot be done, so take 1 thousand and change it into 10 hundreds. Now 16 - 9 = 7, and 4 thousands are left. Thousands: 4 - 3 = 1. Meghalaya has 1754 elephants.

Here is another one from the book. In 2022 there were 8820 leopards in Central India and the Eastern Ghats. That was 749 more than in 2018. So in 2018 there were fewer: 8820 - 749 = 8071.

Check a subtraction by adding back: 1754 + 3965 = 5719, and 8071 + 749 = 8820. Both are right!