Kovai’s jumbo population up despite recent casualties

Referring to data from the synchronised elephant census that was last taken in 2010, District Forest Officer (DFO) S. Ramasubramanian said that there were 120 elephants in the division. “If elephant deaths were at an alarming level, their population would have dwindled to less than half the figure recorded six years ago,” he said. 

Though there is no official record, the DFO told DTNext that there could be close to 400 wild elephants in the division now, including the migrant population from Kerala to Sirumugai in Coimbatore and Sathyamangalam in Erode after the onset of the north-east monsoon. This rough population figure was calculated based on sighting by Forest Department’s field staff and pictures captured in the camera traps installed close to water sources in the forests. “Another encouraging sign is the noticeable increase in the number of tuskers. A few years ago, the male-female ratio of wild elephants in this region was around 1:25. Now, we are able to see the ratio reduce to 1:10 and 1:8 among different herds,” he said. 

According to the DFO, the males include sub adults aged 12-15 years that have small tusks. Senior department officials said that there are up to three males in some herds and that citing of calves in every herd is also an encouraging sign.

A synchronised elephant census is done in coordination with the Forest Departments in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka every four years to take stock of the elephant population in this part of the State to avoid duplication. 

About the census, a senior forest department official said the last exercise under Project Elephant was done in 2010. Wildlife conservationist K. Mohanraj said there are possibilities of 400 elephants using the forests in Coimbatore but this cannot be taken as the elephant population here. He said that only a synchronised census could reveal get the sex ratio of elephants. 

World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature, India, landscape coordinator for Western Ghats D. Boominathan said that there could be seasonal sighting of as many elephants in this division. “There is a season when a congregation of 100 elephants is seen at Sirumugai. But this is only seasonal and cannot be taken as the population,” he said and pressed for profiling elephants, when the water source is limited to keep track of the elephant population here.