Elephants population in Bengal rises from 590 to 682 in four years

The elephant population in the Bengal has increased from 590 in 2014 to 682, the recent elephant census by the State Forest Department has revealed.

The numbers reflect the elephants inhabiting both north and south Bengal.The elephants were counted by direct count method and for the first time south Bengal was also included.

Another census is also being done using the dung decay, which according state's chief wildlife warden, is a more accurate way of determining the elephant population and may reveal a bigger population as many elephants may not be sighted in thick forests. Dung decay method takes into account dung density, decay rate and defecation rate to calculate the number of elephants inhabiting an area. This method was first used in Buxa forests in BengalThe chief wildlife warden pointed out that little decrease in the numbers wasn't a matter of concern, as elephants were always on the move. At least 100 elephants were always moving from one place to another, he informed. From north Bengal they could move to Assam, and even cross the border and inhabit the jungles of Bhutan and Nepal for some time. Similarly from south Bengal, they could move to Odisha and Jharkhand, he said. The State Forest Department tracks the movement of the elephants on daily basis with the help of locals, who inform the forest officials about the elephant sightings through WhatsApp and other messaging services. Continuous monitoring of the elephant movement enables forest officials to get an idea of range-wise presence of elephants and inform locals of possible elephant attacks on villages.

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