India Awaits Next Elephant Census Results

India will wait until June next year for the latest elephant census results, delayed due to monsoons and floods in northeastern states. The new methodology involves DNA analysis from elephant dung and camera trap data. This scientific approach aims to better understand and protect the elephants.

India will have to wait until June next year for the results of the latest elephant census, as the population estimation has been delayed in some northeastern states, sources said. Wild elephants are found in forested, hilly tracts across four regions of India: the foothills of the Himalayas in the north, the northeastern states, east-central India, and the Western and Eastern Ghats in the southern parts of the country.

A source told PTI that data collection and analysis from the northeast have not yet been completed. The primary reasons are ''heavy monsoon rains, floods, and the limited capacity'' of the forest staff, the sources added. As a result, the numbers from the latest elephant estimation exercise will only be available by June next year, they said.

SM Sahai, Meghalaya's Chief Wildlife Warden, said the elephant population estimation using the new methodology is taking time. Sandeep Kumar, Assam's Chief Wildlife Warden, noted that difficult terrain and monsoonal rains have also contributed to the delay. The new methodology, announced by the Union Environment Ministry in 2021, involves DNA analysis from elephant dung and camera trap data. This approach aims to better understand and protect the elephants, helping curb illegal smuggling of body parts.

(With inputs from agencies.)