The timing of the census is significant as this is first one after a series of measures to improve the habitat of the animals in the south. The last joint census was carried out in 2007.
The census is a Project Elephant initiative and will be simultaneously carried out across the country.
"We have created watering holes for the elephants and set up tree fodder patches for them," said a forest official in Nilgiris division. "We are hoping that the number of elephants will be higher than in the last census."
Owing to shrinking habitats, man-elephant conflict has been on the rise, and highways in elephant corridors further fragmented their range. This led to a decline in their population in south India.
The Madras high court recently directed several private properties in elephant corridors to remove solar electric fences that limited the range of the animals. Read the full report here.
Source: R. Vasundara, TNN, Chennai.
