BENGALURU: Tiger census done, the forest department is now taking up an elephant census for the southern states to check on the pachyderm population. The three-day census will start on May 17. The Karnataka forest department took the lead in initiating the exercise, as the all-India census was not yet announced by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
The census will comprise direct and indirect assessment methods. Counting at waterholes, dung analysis, vegetation and all set guidelines listed by MoEFCC will be followed, Rajiv Ranjan, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, told The New Indian Express.
The assessment will be done in sync, in the same format and at the same time in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Goa. This will ensure that wandering pachyderms are covered. Ranjan said Maharashtra and Goa have also been roped into the exercise, as Karnataka’s elephants are often found wandering in these two states.
Karnataka is home to a healthy tiger and elephant population. As per the last census report, there are 6,000 elephants in Karnataka, and the state is hoping to record a rise, though forest officials have not specified their expectations.
“Forest department staffers from all states have been trained for the census. The exercise will be documented and photographed. Camera trap images will also be used. The reports will also be shared on a daily basis with MoEFCC. The Nilgiri biosphere is expected to house the highest elephant population,” said another forest official.
In the wake of recent incidents of man-elephant conflict, forest officials have decided not to rope in volunteers or students for the assessment this time. “The decision was taken for the safety of staffers and the people,” Ranjan said.
Jumbo rides in Dubare
Conservationists and citizens are against the forest department for its decision to start elephant rides in Dubare Elephant Camp. Earlier too, there was a move to start elephant back rides in the safari buffer zone in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve (Anechowkur to Muthur), but the government scuttled the move after objections were raised. However, forest officials said a final decision is yet to be taken. “It is being planned only for the academic and environmental interest of children. A little bit of walking for elephants with significant weight on soft soil will not do much harm. No final decision has been taken,” the officials said.