Uttarakhand begins state-wide elephant population estimation exercise

Dehradun: Uttarakhand forest department on Monday launched a state-wide elephant population estimation exercise across all elephant-range forest divisions and tiger reserves. The exercise is being conducted with support from the Wildlife Institute of India, with officials adopting the direct count methodology for the census. The department last carried out a similar exercise using the direct count method six years ago.

Director of Jim Corbett National Park, Saket Badola, said, “For the first time, field staff will directly feed counting-related data into the M-STrIPES (monitoring system for tigers – intensive protection and ecological status) application. The use of information technology in elephant counting will accelerate the process while also creating an online database of every elephant present in the state.” According to the previous population estimation, Corbett National Park is home to around 1,200 elephants.

Director of Rajaji National Park, Koko Rose, said, “The elephant direct count method begins by dividing the study area into different sections or transects. Our teams then systematically examine each section and directly count every elephant sighted. Special care is taken to avoid counting the same herd more than once. The survey will provide useful information about herd size, age composition and movement patterns.” Rajaji National Park is home to around 352 elephants, according to the 2020 population estimation.

Officials said that after the survey concludes on May 30, the data collected from all sections will be compiled by forest teams and WII researchers to estimate the total elephant population in the state.

In 2020, the Uttarakhand forest department estimated the state’s elephant population at around 2,026 using the direct count method. In contrast, India’s first DNA-based elephant population assessment estimated Uttarakhand’s elephant population at nearly 1,792. Experts said the variation between the two estimates highlights methodological differences in wildlife population assessment and underlines the importance of advanced scientific techniques in improving the accuracy of elephant census data.