Healthy growth in jumbo population

The frequent  electrocution and unnatural deaths have not had adverse effect on the jumbo population in the Mysore Elephant Reserve (MER), according to the Census 2010 report submitted by the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science and Asian Nature Conservation Foundation.

The biennial study reveals that there is a sizeable increase in the elephant population with numbers jumping from 4,100 to 5,630. The pachyderms have apparently survived the odds as the MER population has remained stable over the last 17 years. The number has increased substantially compared to the previous census.

The numbers were analysed and estimated by the pachydermists Prof Raman Sukumar and Dr N Baskaran. The experts have also put the overall male-female sex ratio at 1:2.2.
According to the report, 2,843 elephants were counted over an area of 4,924 sqkm by block count (direct count) spread across 18 forest divisions, which includes Bandipur, Nagarhole (Hunsur wildlife division), Biligiri Rangana Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRTWLS) which includes Chamrajnagar, Kollegal, Bannerghatta, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and Kodagu regions.

Bandipur with a habitat of 906 sqkm has 1,244 elephant counts, followed by Nagarhole with 408 sightings in an area of 643 sqkm.

Despite large areas, places like Kollegal, (1222 km sq,) Koppa ( 1151 km sq ) and Mangalore (1128 km sq) had witnessed comparatively less counts with 408, 285 and 24 respectively.

Compiling the mean of 5,549 elephants with 95 per cent confidence intervals (CI) of 4,014 to 7,119 elephants, the experts have arrived at an overall figure of 5,630 elephants. This is at least a thousand more compared to the previous figure.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) B K Singh said jumbos being migratory in nature, move to the forests of neighbouring states and could be one of the reasons for their lesser count during the previous census. Though the dung count varies with a mean figure of 6,132 elephants with 95 per cent of confidence level ranging between 3,569- 8,969, the report says: “The two estimates are not directly comparable as the block count reflects the elephant population on the day of the census, while dung count is an average estimate of the population in approximately three months prior to the census.”    
The report states that of the total 4,737 elephants counted during block and waterhole count, about 52 per cent were adults and 48 per cent are either subadult, juveniles and calves. The male-female ratio, according to the experts, in classes of adult, subadult, juvenile and calf is marginal with 1:2.3, 1:2.9, 1:2.3 and 1:1.0 respectively.

Uttara Kannada excluded

Uttara Kannada region has been excluded from the census as it does not fall under MER. The census for MER is conducted once in two years, while for the entire State it is done once in three years.