Mysuru – If you like wildlife and if elephants interest you, here is something that may catch your attention. The Karnataka Forest Department is inviting applications from wildlife enthusiasts to participate in the elephant census that will be held from May 15 to May 19, 2017.

Volunteers who are interested in participating in the census will be trained after fulfilling the formalities before they start working with Forest officials. The census will provide a clear picture about the pachyderm population in the State, in the wake of frequent man-animal conflicts.

Department sources said that preference will be given to volunteers who have participated in earlier census and the age limit is 22 to 50.

Training will be imparted for volunteers at Bannerghatta National Park, Aranya Bhavan – Mysuru, Chikkamagaluru Forest Office and Dandeli Nature Camp. Training is compulsory for participating in the census and selected volunteers should compulsorily participate on all the days of the census. Participants will not be charged a fee and no remuneration will be paid for the exercise.

Under the Mysuru Elephant Reserve, census will be conducted at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Bannerghatta National Park, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, Biligiri Ranganathaswami Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Madikeri, Kudremukh, Ramanagaram, Chamarajanagar, and Mangaluru. Census will also be simultaneously conducted in other parts of Forest reserves like Belagavi, Yellapura, Haliyal, Dandeli, Kollegal and Koppa.

The previous elephant census was held in 2012 where the estimated population of wild elephants in Karnataka was over 5,000. This time, the census will focus on areas outside forests as the jumbos are seen on the outskirts of forest patches.

According to Forest Department records, in the last five years 515 elephants died a natural death, while 68 met with unnatural death because of electrocution, shooting, man-animal conflict and poaching.

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) will be used for the first time to           count elephants.

For registration, e-mail: [email protected]