KOCHI: Where have Kerala’s wild elephants gone? This is the question that baffled conservation activists as Forest Minister A K Saseendran released the wild elephant enumeration figures for 2023 on Friday.
As per the data shared by the forest department, currently, there are only 2,386 wild elephants in the state — a decline of 58.19% compared to the elephant count of 5,706 in 2017. The state had 7,490 wild elephants, as per the enumeration conducted in 2011, which means the state lost 68.2% of its elephants in 12 years.
While the forest department claimed the figures are accurate as sophisticated technology was employed, farmers questioned the authenticity of the technology used, citing the increase in man-elephant conflict along forest fringes.
The elephant enumeration was conducted across the state from May 17 to 19. As many as 1,382 people, including staff and forest watchers, were involved in the exercise.
Explaining the drastic decline in elephant population, Saseendran said elephants usually migrate to neighbouring state during summer season due to water scarcity and wildfire. “In May, hot climate was prevailing in Kerala while there was copious rain in Karnataka, which would have prompted the migration. The enumeration was conducted during the same time in 2017. At the time, there was drought in Karnataka while Kerala was getting good rain,” he said.
“The elephant enumeration was conducted adopting the block count and dung count method. In block count, the state forests were divided into 610 sample blocks of an average area of 5.78 sq km. In block count, 1,920 elephants were counted and the population density was 0.20 per sq km,” he said.
‘Enumeration disproves allegations of over population’
As part of the dung count, 2,386 elephants were identified, and the population density was 0.25 per sq km. As many as 251 elephant herds were located during the block count. During the 2017 enumeration, 3,322 wild elephants were sighted in block count while 5,706 elephants were estimated in dung count.
Conservation activist and Animal Welfare Board member M N Jayachandran said the enumeration has disproved the allegations of over population. “Habitat deterioration, disruption of elephant corridors, destruction of grasslands are the reasons for the decline in population. The grassland of Chinnakanal is a classic example. There has been a decline in reproduction. A large number of elephants have died due to herpes virus infection,” he said.
S Guruvayoorappan of Wildlife Protection Society of India said, “Installation of electric fences along the forest boundary, poaching and fragmentation of forest are reasons for the decline. The claims of migration can be proved only by comparing the data of neighbouring states.”