The Hindu : Kerala News : Elephant census begins tomorrow

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

Elephant census begins tomorrow

Staff Reporter

KOTTAYAM: The Department of Forests and Wild Life authorities are busy finalising the preparations to join the first ever elephant census at the national-level which begins on Thursday.

The census will be conducted on three consecutive days, May 5 through May 7. According to Veeramoni, ecologist at Periyar Foundation, who is coordinating the census at Periyar Tiger Reserve, both direct and indirect methods will be used for the count. For the purpose of census

operations the four elephant reserves have been divided into blocks and both Forests Department officials and volunteers would participate in the three-day exercise.

On the first day, direct counting of elephants would be conducted in select blocks in each reserve. The exercise will be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The direct method will be used in around 30 per cent of blocks, Dr. Veeramoni said. These blocks would be of five to 10 sq. km in area based on the terrain and natural boundaries. The area would be covered on foot by the enumerators.

The second day would be earmarked for preparations for the indirect method to be employed on the third day. The indirect method involves arriving at the elephant density of the area based on dung density.

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