In order to understand the diversity of behaviour among elephants and use the knowledge to reduce human-elephant interactions, the Forest Department has started profiling of individual elephants in Coimbatore Forest Division.
In the initial stage, male elephants will be profiled using images of individual animals obtained using camera traps and cameras operated by the field staff.
“Each elephant is different in terms of diversity of behaviour. The profiling helps to identify those elephants that are habituated to human habitats and engage in negative interactions. Such elephants account to a very minuscule population and targeted strategies can be applied to reduce their interaction with humans,” said I. Anwardeen, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle.
Mr. Anwardeen had implemented profiling of elephants in collaboration with Shola Trust in Gudalur where around 150 elephants were photographed and profiles for 90 individuals were created in three years from 2015.
The exercise had categorised elephants in four categories: transient ones that stay for a very short time during migration season, residents that are shy and never come to human habitation, brash youngsters that engage in crop raiding or attack people in conflict situation, and highly habituated old animals that stay close to humans but barely attack.
Multiple photographs and observation notes of an individual elephant help to create a profile based on its height, age, shape of tusks, shape of tail, pattern of ears and other unique features.
As part of the exercise in Coimbatore Forest Division, where 11 people were killed in elephant attacks and 20 elephants died of various reasons including gunshot in the current year, camera traps have already been placed in 20 key locations in different forest ranges.
“Training for the profiling have been given to all the staff in the forest division ranging from anti-poaching watcher to foresters. Apart from the camera traps fixed in forests, the department has plans to buy cameras for the field staff for the purpose,” said D. Boominathan, landscape coordinator of WWF India, Coimbatore, which is assisting the Department in the log-term exercise.
Places where camera traps have been fixed include Thadagam valley which witnesses movement of elephant to and fro Kerala. Cameras have also been fixed in Sirumugai, Periyanaickenpalayam and Karamadai forest ranges.
According to the Forest Department, moving population of elephant is high in Coimbatore division which is located in the southernmost part of a larger landscape called south Nilgiri Elephant Range - 8 under Project Elephant. Range - 8 consists of two elephant reserves namely Nilambur elephant reserve and Coimbatore elephant reserve, overall elephant population is about 600 as per some studies.