Four day all-India elephant census begins in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: The four-day all-India

elephant census

begins in this part of the country from Tuesday . The census of the pachyderms that is carried out

every five years

, gives an estimate of their distribution and population in a particular area. The numbers will help track their movement and plan conservation. It is essential since the man-elephant conflict has been rising over the years.

In Tamil Nadu, the count will be primarily conducted in the four elephant reserves in the state -Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Aanamalai and Srivilliputhur -which covers 7,935sqkm, said state chief wildlife warden P C Tyagi.“Of this total area more than 2,000sqkm is protected area,“ he said.

The three-phase census

began in March in the northeast part of the country . In April, east and central India were covered and this month the population tally in north and south India will be determined.

The data collected from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka will be analysed with the help of experts from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, while Kerala will do its own calculation. The analysis is likely to take at least six months and the population estimation will be announced by January next year.

Since India has the largest number of Asian elephants, the statistics will help determine if elephant habitats undergo changes due to encroachment, male-female ratio or other causes.

“The four-day population estimation work will begin with mapping of elephant distribution at divisional level.Then transect lines will be drawn. Participating forest foot soldiers and volunteers will collect data,“ said Raman Sukumar, member of Project Elephant Steering Committee and professor, IISc.The second day will be dedicated to direct counting and the day after, field staff will track movement of elephants by identifying characteristics of the dung found in forest areas. The final day is to count jumbos in open areas such as lakes, ponds and other water bodies.

Photographs will be taken on the fourth day to map the areas where they are found. The direct count method will give a fair idea of minimum number of elephants in a particular area, he said.

The line transect method, block and waterhole count techniques will be adopted by foresters and volunteers, which include students, who will take part in the count. Each team will have four members to conduct the field exercise. “The district forest officers were requested to divide the divisions into blocks and prepare maps along with transect line details for areas with elephant presence,“ said Sukumar.

Soon after completing the elephant census, tiger reserve managers will start an eight-day protocol their premonsoon tiger monitoring programme, said a senior wildlife officer.