7 months ago
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The latest synchronised elephant colonisation estimation workout has revealed Tamil Nadu is location to 3,170 chaotic elephants, an summation of 107 individuals from the 2024 number of 3,063.
The estimation was derived done a three-day synchronised survey conducted successful May 2025 crossed each 5 elephant reserves successful Tamil Nadu, covering 8,989.63 sq.km. of effectual elephant habitats.
The estimation workout was carried retired crossed 26 wood divisions. According to the State Forest Department, the wide elephant density was 0.35 elephants per sq.km. arsenic per the nonstop Block Count method, and 0.37 elephants per sq.km. utilizing the Line Transect Dung Count method.
Methodology
The Block Count method, a nonstop reflection approach, involves dividing elephant habitats into tiny sampling blocks (each astir 5 sq.km.) and deploying wood teams to grounds each elephant sightings wrong these blocks implicit a fixed period. This helps find colonisation size and age–sex creation based connected existent sightings.
The Line Transect Dung Count method, connected the different hand, is an indirect method utilized to estimation elephant density successful areas wherever nonstop sightings are difficult. Survey teams locomotion on fixed transect lines, counting dung piles and measuring their region from the line. Using specialised software, dung density is converted into elephant density by factoring successful dung decay and defecation rates.
Highest sightings
A full of 681 blocks were sampled crossed the State. The survey progressive implicit 2,000 wood personnel, including guards, watchers, and anti-poaching watchers. The highest fig of elephants were sighted successful the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, wherever 162 elephants were counted successful 24 blocks spanning 241 sq.km., accounting for astir 50% of the division’s elephant habitat.
Other divisions with important sightings included Gudalur (102 elephants), Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (94 elephants), Anamalai Tiger Reserve–Pollachi Division (107 elephants), Erode (74 elephants), and Coimbatore (72 elephants).
The Nilgiri Elephant Reserve, portion of the larger Nilgiri Eastern Ghats landscape, recorded the highest elephant colonisation and density, with an estimated 2,419 elephants (0.53 elephants per sq km) nether the artifact number method, and 3,163 elephants (0.70 per sq km) nether the dung number method.
Together, the Nilgiri and Coimbatore reserves enactment astir 70–80% of Tamil Nadu’s chaotic elephants, forming portion of a contiguous colonisation shared with neighbouring Karnataka and Kerala.
Other aspects assessed
In summation to colonisation estimation, the survey assessed demographic patterns done waterhole counts, which revealed that adults constituted 44% of the full population, followed by sub-adults (31%), juveniles (11%), and calves (14%). The enactment ratio was recorded astatine 1:1.77 (male to female), portion the big female-to-calf ratio was 1:0.50. Average herd sizes ranged betwixt 3 and sixteen elephants.
Forest officials said the findings bespeak a unchangeable and steadfast elephant colonisation structure, accordant with earlier surveys conducted successful 2002, 2010, 2017, 2023, and 2024.
However, the study highlighted the request for refining aboriginal estimates by incorporating division-specific dung decay rates, arsenic the usage of a azygous decay worth crossed the State could pb to insignificant discrepancies betwixt nonstop and indirect number methods. The study besides noted that conducting the survey successful precocious April, up of the aboriginal monsoon onset successful the Western Ghats, could nutrient amended results than holding it astatine the extremity of May.
