Elephant census beginning
Briefing of forest department staff and volunteers, especially nature lovers, and mapping of 3,000 sq. km. of forest area in Coimbatore Circle has begun as a prelude to the three-day synchronised elephant census beginning May 7.The Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle, P.C. Tyagi said that Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka that share forest boundaries, would carry out this synchronised census simultaneously, to collect statistics regarding the pachyderm population.The synchronised census by the three States was aimed at averting the overlapping of statistics since pachyderms migrated across boundaries in search of food and water.The last synchronised elephant census was done in May 2005.The Coimbatore Circle of the Forest Department plans to repeat the exercise every year to have updated statistics on the presence of elephants and their migratory pattern.The Union Government asks for the updated statistics once in three years.But an exercise every year would help the department improve management strategies, Mr.Tyagi said.This would help ensure effective implementation of habitat improvement programmes and also to plan management intervention strategies wherever required.
The assessment of the elephant population, habitat and migratory pattern, besides a study of the elephant corridor was essential, especially in the wake of the increasing human-animal conflicts arising due to straying of elephants into human habitations.The synchronised census would be carried out in 3,000 sq km area spread over Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in Pollachi, Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Mukurthi National Park besides Nilgiris North, South, Gudalur divisions in the Nilgiris and Coimbatore Forest divisions.The staff and volunteers to be involved in the census exercise were being briefed on the procedures and methodology to be adopted.
The authorities were also doing a mapping of the forest areas to divide them into various blocks for the purpose of deploying teams for every block.A team comprising forest personnel, tribal watcher and three or four volunteers would carry out the census exercise in every block.The line transect census methodology would be adopted.The blocks would be divided based on streams, rivers and rivulets incorporating the water hole counting method as well.The enumerators would record the sighting of pachyderms including the age group as to whether the pachyderm was an adult, sub-adult or juvenile, herd size and sex of the animal.This would help in assessing the health of the pachyderm population.In addition, the department also plans to carry out a sustained dung count under the indirect counting method for nearly four months to assess the health of the herds and population.In addition, the enumerators were also being given formats for recording the sightings of tigers taking into account the prey base (kills), pugmark, and scratches on the barks of trees and excreta.The enumerators and forest staff would also locate the old areas in the jungles that were earlier known for illicit distillation and ganja cultivation.
This was being done in order to keep these areas under the watchful eyes of the forest teams to avoid these pockets once again becoming the camps of distillers and ganja growers.Meanwhile, the District Forest Officer, I. Anwardeen had requested the nature lovers and NGOs interested to take part in the census to enrol their names with the DFO's office on Tiruchi Road near the Highways Department Office or to contact the phone number 0422-2302925.
