EVEN as the forest department claimed an increase in the number of elephants by 24 in the last three years in Orissa a major habitat of Asiatic elephants in the country wildlife experts pooh-poohed the census saying that the survey is not foolproof.
There is absence of complete transparency in the census of jumbos and we have strong doubts over the official claim of the rise in number of elephants, Wildlife Society of Orissa secretary Biswajit Mohanty told ET on Friday.
Incidentally,Mr Mohanty is part of a two-member team appointed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for an independent assessment of facts following the death of 12 elephants inside the Similipal Tiger Reserve.The other member of the team is Wildlife Protection Society of India executive director Belinda Wright.
The forest department conducted a comprehensive census of the states 50 forest divisions from April 22 to 24 to determine the number of wild elephants in the state.
According to its findings,in six out of 50 divisions,there are no elephants.There are 1,886 elephants in 44 forest divisions which suggests addition of 24 elephants.
In this census report,it was found that the number of elephants in 21 divisions,including Dhenkanal,Satakosia wildlife division,Similipal,Berhampur,Baliguda,Balangir (east),Balangir,Kalahandi (north),Kalahandi (south),Nayagarh,Mahanadi,Koraput,Deogarh,Keonjhar,Keonjhar wildlife division,Rourkela,Sambalpur (north) and Rairasola,had increased to 1,212 from 942 in 2007.But in 15 divisions,the number of elephants decreased to 578 from 824.The elephants are now found in Balangir,Rourkela and Koraput division while the numbers have come down in Chandaka.
The experts have expressed serious concern in recent days due to rise in poaching for ivory trade and the conflicts relating to habitat and anthropogenic pressures.They called for better wildlife protection strategies,intelligent management of people and better intelligence sharing among people and forest officials.
