If you fancy wildlife and elephants are a special subject of interest, here’s something that may catch your fancy. The state forest department is inviting applications from wildlife enthusiasts to participate in the elephant census. “Volunteers who are interested in participating in the census will be trained after fulfilling the formalities, before they start working with forest officials,” says an official.
According to the Directorate of Project Elephant, two different methods will be employed to estimate the pachyderm population size, including a direct method (sample block count) and an indirect method (line-transect dung count). To obtain data on population structure, a waterhole count is also being suggested, considering that it provides better visibility of age and sex of the animals. This year, GPS (Global Positioning System) might be used for the first time to count elephants.
According to the census report of 2012, Karnataka has more than 6,072 elephants. In 2010, the number of elephants was 5,800. Experts say that the elephant population is on the rise in the state thanks to conservation efforts. Together, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala contribute to 40% of the elephant population in the country.