Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015

Wildlife Preservation Organisation Forest Department, Uttarakhand Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 UTTARAKHAND

Wildlife Preservation Organisation Forest Department, Uttarakhand Wild Asiatic Elephant population estimation 2015, Uttarakhand

Published by Wildlife preservation organisation, Uttarakhand Forest Department

Front Cover: Tusker (Adult male elephant)

Back Cover: Elephant herd near Dhikala, Corbett Tiger Reserve

All pictures courtesy Dr Saket Badola, IFS

Map: IT Cell, Office of the PCCF Uttarakhand

Designed & Printed: Shiva Offset Press, Dehradun Govt. of Uttarakhand

Message

I am happy to know that the wildlife wing of Uttarakhand forest department has initiated scientific monitoring of its major faunal species through well designed estimation protocols. While the trans- Himalayas and foothills have already been covered in this endeavour, the demanding protocols for the middle Himalayas is being carried out right now. Last year the department conducted the census of wild Elephants in the state in which all the Elephant range forest divisions participated. Besides Corbett and Rajaji tiger reserves, Nandhour wildlife sanctuary and Pawalgarh and Jhilmil jheel Conservation reserve and ten territorial divisions were covered for this census exercise. Thus the stretch of forests from Yamuna in the west to Sharada in the East which is also the part of Shiwalik Elephant reserve was covered in the exercise which forms the entire distributional range of the pachyderm in the state of Uttarakhand. It gives me pleasure to see that the results of the Elephant census have been compiled in this booklet for its better dissemination and documentation for posterity. The results are very encouraging and Elephants in our state are doing very well. I hope this exercise is carried out in future regularly so that we continue to get information vital for conservation of Elephant in the state of Uttarakhand.

January 2016 (Dinesh Agrawal)

Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 1

Background Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) is a threatened mammal species only second to its African cousin in size amongst all land mammals. Its status as per IUCN red list is endangered and it is placed in the appendix I of CITES.

Asian Elephant is the largest terrestrial mammal of India. Elephant being wide ranging animal requires large areas. As per our mythology, elephant took birth from celestial waters and thus are closely associated with rains / water because of the belief. The requirement of food and water for elephants are very high and therefore their population can be supported only by forests that are under optimal conditions. The status of elephant can be the best indicator of the status of the forests. Asian elephants were believed to be widely distributed – from Tigris – Euphrates in West Asia eastward through Persia into the Indian sub-continent, South and Southeast Asia including Sri Lanka, Java, Sumatra, Borneo and up to North China. However currently they are confined to Indian Subcontinent, South East Asia and some Asian Islands - Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia. The global population of Asian Elephant is estimated around 50000. About 60% of the Asian elephant population is in India as per the 2012 census. The state-wise details of population of Asian Elephants are given in Appendix 1. Old literatures indicate that even during the Moghul period, elephants were found all over India including many part of Central India like Marwar, Chanderi, Satwas, Bijagarh and Panna. However current distribution of wild elephant in India is confined to ; North East including North ; Central Indian states of Orissa , South WB and ; and North West India in Uttarakahnd and UP (http://www.moef.nic.in/division/introduction-4).

To streamline the conservation of Asian Elephant in India, Project Elephant (PE) was launched by the in the year 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with following objectives: 1. To protect elephants, their habitat & corridors 2. To address issues of man-animal conflict 3. Welfare of captive elephants 2 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND

To identify areas for priority action for conservation of Elephants, till now 28 Elephant Reserves (ERs) extending over about 61830.08 sq km have been formally notified by various State Governments. The detail of these reserves has been given in Appendix 2. Shiwalik Elephant reserve is the only Elephant reserve in the state of Uttarakhand. It was notified on 28.10.2002 and extends to an area of 5405 square kilometres.

Concerned by the plight of Elephants in our country, Government of India set up an Elephant task force which submitted a comprehensive report titled ‘Gajah’ to steer the conservation efforts to save this pachyderm.

Estimation of Elephant Population Elephant estimation (popularly but wrongly referred to as Elephant census) is done in many ways. The methodology has been evolving and a few modern techniques have also been employed albeit with limited success.

The first-ever attempt to estimate the elephant population in India was done in the forests of United Province (now + Uttarakhand) by F.W. Champion during the year 1929. Subsequently, in 1966-67 further such attempts were made by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department with repeat estimates undertaken in the years 1976 and 1978. All these estimates were based on the ‘Direct Total Count’ arrived at by averaging figures of three counts taken at an interval of 10 days at the level of the forest beat.

With the launch of Project Elephant in 1992, population estimates of elephants were made at intervals of five years following different methods such as total count, total count by tracking, registration count, water hole count, sample count, transect count and dung count, varying from site to site. Based on these estimates elephant population in the country were reported at being around 25604 in 1993, 25877 in 1997, 26413 in 2002, and 27694 in 2007-08. These estimates comprising population information of 15 years suggest Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 3 an increase. But the information generated does not help deduce any reliable inference in detecting population changes at any level. Considering the elephant’s long lifespan and the threat to tuskers posed by poachers, total numbers may be inadequate as index of how populations are faring in the wild. It is equally essential to know the male: female ratios and the age structure of populations. The revised guidelines emphasized undertaking synchronized estimates together by the adjoining ERs with contiguous elephant habitats. Based on this, the Synchronised Elephant Census (SEC) was conducted across various states in India in 2005 and in 2010. The SEC uses three main methods to obtain population sizes and related information: block count, line transect dung count, and waterhole count. The block count is also referred to as ‘direct count’ and the dung count as ‘indirect count’. The waterhole count is primarily used to generate population structure to scan and categorize individuals in various sex and size classes. Stratification of sampled area may be made in terms of high, medium and low elephant density, or through vegetation types. The sample area selected for elephant estimation through direct count has been 30% (enhanced to 50% in 2010 estimate) in all categories. A separate guideline for computing dung-decay rate has also been circulated among the elephant range States. Besides technical aspects of the methods, the guidelines also cover aspects such as estimation period, training of enumerators, and data analysis, involving organizations/experts and fund allocation to the respective States (Gajah report MoEF, 2010).

In Uttarakhand last direct count was conducted in the year 2007 which resulted in a count of 1346 elephants. Later in the year 2012, Asian nature conservation foundation, innovation centre at the Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore led by Dr R. Sukumar conducted elephant estimation in the state through dung decay method. This method was labour intensive involving high costs. The results were however not of much management value since the maximum and minimum limits were too much apart. The results were a population range of 948 - 2147 with a mean value of 1558. The survey failed to give any information on the adult sex ratio, a very important attribute 4 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND

of the elephant population or the calf to female ratios. The survey was carried out in 11 forest divisions which included nearly all the elephant range divisions in the state. The only division left out was Kalsi division which in any case has a scanty presence of elephants.

Uttarakhand Elephant Estimation 2015 Since it had been nearly eight years since the last Elephant estimation in the state, it was felt that the estimation exercise was urgently needed. Thus the highest decision makers in the wildlife wing of the state forest department decided to get the exercise conducted in the summer of 2015.

A series of discussions were held with scientists from Wildlife Institute of India and experienced forest officers to critically evaluate the methods mentioned above. Considering all aspect, a direct count based total count method was decided upon. This method is simple and can be easily followed by our field staff. The entire elephant range was taken up for the exercise since it has good staff presence and elephant being a highly mobile and unevenly distributed species, sampling would have led to large confidence intervals owing to high levels of variability in elephant densities across the distributional range. The major flaw of missing on elephants in total counts was resolved by making four sessions of synchronised counts spread over two days (morning and afternoon) which was likely to saturate the sightings of the animals.

Each sighting was to be recorded with all possible details so as to ascertain the identity of each elephant/elephant-herd. The data recorded included the GPS location of the sighting location, direction of movement and photographs were also taken and these along with the physical characters were used to look for double counts at the time of analysis. The data sheet used is annexed as Appendix 3. Many well known institutions and NGOs like Wildlife Institute of India, WWF India and the Corbett foundation joined the forest staff in the field. The exercise was conducted on 4th and 5th of June and Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 5

detailed instructions were issued to the field officers regarding the same (Appendix 4).

Detailed guidelines were issued for analysing the field data (Appendix 5). The main emphasis was to identify double (or multiple counts). This was done using various cues viz. herd composition, individual identity of tuskers, direction of movement, location and time of sighting and photographs. The double count was checked at multiple hierarchical levels starting from beat to section to range to sub-division to division and finally at the circle level. The analysed results from various circles/ directors were then collated at the wildlife headquarters in consultation with the field officers.

Results Based on the analysed and collated data a population of 1797 elephants was estimated in the state. Of these a total of 291 adult males and 719 adult females constituted the adult population making it a ratio of 1:2.47. This is a marginal improvement over the ratio observed in 2007 estimation which was 1:2.56. Tusker to female ratio was found to be 1:2.67. As expected the male to female ratio amongst the sub-adult population was much higher 1:1.64. With 408 juveniles and suckling calves the future of the elephant population in the state looks bright.

The meticulous analysis of the field data led to identification of many double or multiple counts mainly in areas of high elephant density such as Corbett and Rajaji. In all 2348 sightings were made during the four sessions of the two day exercise and after eliminating the double or multiple counts the number of 1797 was arrived at. The detailed division and circle wise report is annexed as Appendix 6. The physical location of Elephant sightings was mapped to get an idea of the spatial distribution of the Elephants which is annexed as Appendix 7.

Corbett tiger reserve emerged as the main bastion of elephants in the state with as many as 1035 elephants recorded. Dhikala range alone accounted for 242 elephants and adjoining Sarpduli range registered 6 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND

193 elephants. These ranges attract large number of elephants in peak summer season owing to the perennial Ramganga river flowing through them. 309 elephants were recorded in another important stronghold for the animal. Lansdowne forest division lying between these two important protected areas too registered a high presence of elephants with 160 animals. The elephants were found in nearly all the divisions of the forested belt from Yamuna to Sharada.

Analysis and comparisons Any population monitoring exercise is incomplete without meaningful comparisons with the past records to look for population trends, a valuable information for managers and policy makers. The highly conservation aware Indian populace also is very eager to know the population trends of the major faunal species in the country.

Elephant census has been conducted in the state with reasonable regularity with estimation done in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2012 and 2015. With the exception of 2012, all other estimations have been carried out on the basis of direct counts with some variations in the analysis methodology. As mentioned earlier, the 2012 estimation was carried out through dung decay estimation by the team from IISc, Bangalore. Even though the confidence intervals are very large in the 2012 census, the mean values do provide a very good basis for comparison. The overall trend of the state wide population of elephants is given in Figure 1 which shows a stable to increasing trend. The detailed division wise estimation from 2001 to 2015 is annexed as Appendix 8.

Based on the recently concluded estimation exercise, adult male to female sex ratio in Uttarakhand was found to be 1 : 2.47 which is one of the finest to be seen anywhere in the Asian elephant population in the world. In many parts of India particularly in south India poaching has skewed the sex ratio in a big way. In Periyar tiger reserve the adult sex ratio was as low as 1 : 122 in 1990 which improved marginally to 1 : 100 in 1994-95. In areas free from poaching such as Sri Lanka a Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 7

2000 1797 1800 1582 1559 1600 1507 1510 1346 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 2001 2003 2005 2007 2012 2015 Figure 1. Elephant estimates in Uttarakhand over the years. ratio of 1:3 was observed (Sukumar et al. 1998). In a much later study in 2003-04 in Mudumulai sanctuary, , the adult sex ratio was found to be 1 : 21 (Ashokkumar et al., 2010). In Asia, hunting for male elephants leads to highly skewed sex ratio, such as the 1 : 100 (male: female) ratio observed in some parks in southern India (Ramakrishnan, et al., 1998), anything beyond 1 : 5 is a cause for worry (Menon, 2002). Thus Uttarakhand population has one of the finest sex ratios and is indicative of complete control on poaching of tuskers.

The young (calf+ juveniles) to adult female ratio is also a very important attribute of the elephant population as it signifies the fecundity which directly influences the future population growth. In Uttarakhand the young to adult female was found to be 1 : 1.75. The overall population structure is also encouraging in Uttarakhand as given in the table below:

Elephant population structure Uttarakhand Age class Percentage of total population Adult 56.20% Sub-adult 20.10% Juvenile 14.40% Calves 8.30% 8 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND

Conclusion The recent Elephant estimation in the state of Uttarakhand has given encouraging results. The population estimate of 1797 is an increase of 15% over the last dung decay based estimation done in 2012. It is a rise of 33% over the last census of 2007 based on similar methodology. The adult male to female ratio of 1:2.47 is also one of the best in the world and indicates a total control of Elephant poaching in the state. The population structure also is encouraging with nearly a fourth of the population under 5 years of age.

References Ashokkumar M., Nagarajan R., Desai Ajay A. (2010). Group Size and Age- Sex Composition of Asian Elephant and Gaur in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Southern India. Gajah 32: 27-34. Menon V., (2002). Tusker: the story of the Asian elephant. indianmedicine. eldoc.ub.rug.nl. ABIM - An Annotated Bibliography of Indian Medicine. Ramakrishnan, U., Santhosh, J.A., Ramakrishnan, U. and Sukumar, R. 1998. The population and conservation status of Asian elephants in Periyar Tiger Reserve, South India. Current Science 74: 110–114. Rangarajan M., Desai M., Sukumar R., Easa P.S., Menon V., Vincent S, Ganguly S, Talukdar B, Singh B, Mudappa D, Chowdhary S, Prasad AN (2010). Gajah: Securing the Future for Elephants in India. Report of the Elephant Task Force, Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi. Sukumar, R., Ramakrishnan, U. & Santosh, J.A. (1998). Impact of poaching on an Asian elephant population in Periyar, southern India: A model of demography and tusk harvest. Animal Conservation 1: 281-291. http://www.moef.nic.in/division/introduction-4 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 9

Appendix 1

Details of elephant estimation for the year 2007 and 2012 Sl. No. States Elephant Population 2007 2012 1 1690 890 2 5281 5620 3 1811 1811 * 4 152 212 5 Tripura 59 59 6 West Bengal 325-350 647 7 Jharkhand 624 688 8 Orissa 1862 1930 9 122 247 10 Uttarakhand 1346 1346 * 11 Uttar Pradesh 380 291 12 Tamil Nadu 3867 4015 13 4035 5648-6488 14 6068 5942-6422 15 28 41 16 Maharashtra 7 4 Total 27657-27682 29391 - 30711

* Meghalaya and Uttarakhand has not conducted elephant census after 2007. Therefore the figure of 2007 has been maintained for 2012 as well. 10 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND

Appendix 2 Elephant Reserves In India Sl. Elephant Elephant Reserve with State Total No Range date of notification Area (Sq. Km) I Eastern India 1. Mayurjharna ER W. Bengal 414 (South West (24.10.02) Bengal- Jharkhand- 2. Singhbhum ER Jharkhand 4530 Orissa) (26.9.01)

3. Mayurbhanj ER Orissa 3214 (29.9.01) 4. ER (20.7.02) Orissa 1038 5. Sambalpur ER Orissa 427 (27.3.02) 6. Badalkhol-Tamorpingla Chhattisgarh 1048.30 (15.9.2011) Total 10671.30 II North 7. Kameng ER (19.6.02) Arunachal 1892 Brahamputra 8. Sonitpur ER (6.3.03) Assam 1420 (Arunachal – Assam) Total 3312 III South 9. Dihing-Patkai ER Assam 937 Brahamputra (17.4.03) (Assam- 10. South Arunachal ER Arunachal 1957.50 Arunachal) (29-2-08 ) Total 2894.50

IV Kaziranga 11. Kaziranga – Karbi Assam 3270 (Assam- Anglong ER (17.4.03) Nagaland) 12. Dhansiri-Lungding ER Assam 2740 (19.4.03) 13. Intanki ER (28.2.05) Nagaland 202 Total 6212 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 11

V Eastern 14. Chirang-Ripu ER Assam 2600 Dooars (7.3.03) (Assam- W. 15. Eastern Dooars ER W. Bengal 978 Bengal) (28.8.02) Total 3578 VI E. Himalayas 16. ER Meghalaya 3,500 (Meghalaya) (31.10.01) Total 3500 VII Nilgiri – 17. Mysore ER (25.11.02) Karnataka, 6724 Eastern Ghat 18. Wayanad ER (2.4.02) Kerala 1200 (Karnataka- 19. Nilgiri ER (19.9.03) Tamil nadu 4663 Kerala- 20. Rayala ER (9.12.03) Andhra 766 Tamilnadu- Andhra) Total 13353 VIII South Nilgiri 21. Nilambur ER (2.4.02) Kerala 1419 (Kerala- 22. Coimbatore ER Tamilnadu 566 Tamilnadu) (19.9.03) Total 1985 IX Western 23. Anamalai ER (19.9.03) Tamilnadu 1457 Ghat 24. Anamudi ER (2.4.02) Kerala 3728 (Tamilnadu- Kerala) Total 5185 X Periyar 25. Periyar (2.4.02) Kerala 3742 (Kerala- 26. Srivilliputtur Tamilnadu 1249 Tamilnadu) ER(19.9.03) Total 4991 XI Northern 27. Shivalik ER (28.10.02) Uttaranchal 5405 India 28. Uttar Pradesh ER U.P. 744 (Uttaranchal- (9.9.09) U.P.) Total 6149 Total 61830.80

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dk;kZy;] izeq[k ou laj{kd (oU;tho)] mRRkjk[k.M 5&pUnzcuh] iksLV eksgCcsokyk] nsgjknwu (mRRkjk[k.M) QkSu@QSDl&0135&2644691] [email protected] i=kad 3091 @6&12 f'kfoj] nsgjknwu fnukad 25 ebZ 2015 lsok esa] 1- ou laj{kd] f’kokfyd o`RRk] HkxhjFkh o`RRk] if’peh o`RRk] mRRkjh dqekÅaA 2- funs’kd] jktkth jk”Vªh; ikdZ] nsgjknwuA 3- funs’kd] dkcsZV Vkbxj fjtoZ] jkeuxj] nsgjknwuA 4- leLr izHkkxh; oukf/kdkjh] f’kokfyd ,yhQsUV fjtoZ] mRRkjk[k.MA fo”k;%& mRRkjk[k.M esa o”kZ 2015 esa gkFkh x.kuk dk dk;ZA egksn;] mRRkjk[k.M jkT; esa iM+us okys f’kokfyd ,yhQsUV fjtoZ] o mlds lehiorhZ gkFkh okl&LFkyksa esa gkFkh x.kuk 2015 dk dk;ZØe] x.kuk vk;kstdks dk p;u] x.kuk dh fof/k dh izfØ;k o gkFkh x.kuk o”kZ 2015 dk dk;ZØe ds lEcU/k esa fn'kk&funsZ'k ,oa vkns'k fuEu izdkj fn;s tkrs gS& gkFkh x.kuk dk;Z nks pj.kkas esa fuEu frfFk;ksa ¼pj.kksa½ dks lEiUUk djk;k tkuk gS&

1- 04 twu 2015 izFke x.kuk 2- 05 twu 2015 f}rh; x.kuk 18 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND vk;kstdksa dk p;u ,oa dk;Z& f’kokfyd gkFkh fjtoZ esa gkFkh x.kuk izeq[k ou laj{kd] oU;tho] mRRkjk[k.M ds ekxZn’kZu esa lEiUUk dh tk;sxhA gkFkh x.kuk dk;Z dks lqpk: :i ls lEiUu djus ds fy;s fofHkUu Lrj ij vf/kdkfj;ksa@dEkZpkfj;ksa dk p;u ,oa dk;Z fuEu izdkj fu/kkZfjr fd;s tkrs gS& 1- la;kstd&eq[; ou laj{kd iz’kklu] oU;tho laj{k.k ,oa vklwpuk] mRRkjk[k.M] f’kokfyd gkFkh fjtoZ esa gkFkh x.kuk dk;Z gsrq la;kstd dk dk;Z djsaxs tks lEkLr x.kuk dk;ksZ dk la;kstu djsaxs ,oa x.kuk mijkUr vkadMks dk ladyu dj izeq[k ou laj{kd] oU;tho] mRRkjk[k.M dh fjiksVZ izLrqr djsaxsA 2- o`RRkh; vk;kstd&lEcfU/kr o`RRk ds ou laj{kd@funs’kd o`RRk Lrj ij x.kuk dk;ksZ dk vk;kstu djsaxs rFkk o`RRk dh ladfyr fjiksVZ la;kstd eq[; ou laj{kd iz’kklu] oU;tho laj{k.k vklwpuk] mRRkjk[k.M dh miyC/k djk;saxsA 3- izHkkxh; vk;kstd&lEcfU/kr izHkkx ds izHkkxh; oukf/kdkjh izHkkx Lrj ij x.kuk dk;ksZ dk vk;kstu djsaxs rFk izHkkx dh ladfyr fjiksVZ o`RRkh; vk;kstd@ou laj{kd dks miyC/k djk;saxsA 4- mi izHkkxh; vk;kstd&lEcfU/kr mi izHkkx ds mi izHkkxh; oukf/kdkjh vius mi izHkkx esa x.kuk dk;Z dj vk;kstu djsaxs rFkk viuh ladfyr fjiksVZ dks izHkkxh; oukf/kdkjh dk miyC/k djk;saxsA 5- jsat vk;kstd&lEcfU/kr jsat ds ou {ks=kf/kdkjh vius jsat ds vUrxZr x.kuk dk;ksZ dks vk;kstu djsaxs rFkk viuh ladfyr fjiksVZ mi izHkkxh; oukf/kdkjh dks miyC/k djk;asxsA 6- leUo;d&lEcfU/kr vuqHkkx ds mijkftd@lgk;d oU;tho izfrikyd@ou njksxk vius vuqHkkx esa x.kuk dk;ksZ dk vk;kstu djsaxs o ladfyr fjiksVZ jsat vk;kstd dk miyC/k djk;sxsA 7- izx.kd&lEcfU/kr ohV ds ou vkj{kh@oU;tho vkj{kh vius&vius chVksa esa okLrfod x.kuk dk;Z lEikfnr djsaxsA Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 19 x.kuk dh fof/k& izR;{k n`’;kyksdu fof/k (Ocular Method)&gkFkh x.kuk gsrq x.kuk dh ikjEifjd fof/k viukbZ tk;sxh ftlds vUrxZr izR;{k fn[kkbZ ikM+us okys gkFkh@gkFkh >q.M esa mifLFkr lEkLr gkfFk;ksa dh fxurh dh tkrh gS rFkk igpku ds ekudksa ds vk/kkj ij mudk fyax@vk;q esa oxhZdj.k fd;k tkrk gSA LkVhd ,oa lgh ifj.kke izkIr djus gsrq bl fof/k esa le;kuqdwy miyC/k mPp rduhd dk iz;ksx fd;k tk;sxk tSlk&th0ih0,l0 }kjk yksds’ku iznf’kZr djuk rFkk QksVks fp=ksa dk mi;ksx] ix fpUg ,oa gkFkh yhn dh miyC/krk ‘kkfey gSA lkFk gh nwjchu dk ;FkklEHko iz;ksx fd;k tk;A izfØ;k 1- x.kuk dk le; izkr% 6%00 cts ls 11%00 cts rFkk lk;a 3%00 cts ls 7%00 cts rd gksxhA 2- gkFkh x.kuk gsrq izR;sx chV dks ,d ;wfuV ekuk tk;sxk rFkk x.kuk dk;Z bl ;wfuV ds leLr {ks= esa ?kwe dj dh tk;sxhA 3- x.kuk ds le; chV esa miyC/k leLr ty Jksrksa ij vfuok;Zr% tkuk tk;sxk o ogka dqN le; Hkh fcrk;k tk;xkA 4- izR;sd ;wfuV es gkfFk;ksa dh x.kuk izx.kd ny }kjk dh tk;sxhA x.kuk gsrq izR;sd ;wfuV eas 2&3 deZpkfj;ksa dk izx.kd ny gksxkA 5- gkFkh fn[kus ij gkFkh@gkFkh lewg dh dqy la[;k ds ckjs esa fooj.k izi= esa vafdr djuk gksxkA 6- x.kuk dk;Z ds nkSjku vR;Ur lko/kkuh iwoZd vkil esa de ls de laokn djrs gq;s ns[ks x;s gkFkh@lewgks ds vkokxeu dh fn’kk tSls iwoZ ls if’pe] mRrj ls nf{k.k Hkh x.kuk izi= esa vafdr dh tk;A 7- ns[ks x;s izR;sd gkFkh@gkFkh lewg dks i`Fkd ls la[;k ds :i esa izi= esa vafdr fd;k tk;sxkA 8- x.kuk ds nkSjku ns[ks x;s gkfFk;ksa dk LFkku ¼v{kak'k o ns'kkUrj½] le;] leqnz ry ls ÅapkbZ izi= ds lEcfU/kr dkWye ,oa fo’ks”k HkkSXkksfyd fpUg vfHk;qfDr ds :Ik esa izi= es n’kkZ;s tk;saA 9- ns[ks x;s gkFkh@gkFkh lewg dks chV ds ekufp= esa Hkh n’kkZ;k tk;s] ftldh iqf"V th0ih0,l0 yksds’ku ls Hkh dh tk;sA 20 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND

10- gkFkh x.kuk nks pj.kksa esa ¼frfFk;ksa esa½ gksxh] nksuksa pj.kka esa ,d chV@;wfuV esa ogh izx.kd ny x.kuk djsxkA 11- gkFkh@gkFkh lewg dh igpku ,oa mudh vk;q Kkr djus gsrq fp= Hkh vfuok;Zr% fy;s tk;s o buesa igpku gsrq le; o v{kka'k o ns'kkUrj vafdr fd;k tk;A 12- bl izdkj nks fnuksa dh gkFkh x.kuk esa izR;sd chV esa 4 izi= Hkjs tk;saxsA 13- layXu izi= dks izx.kdksa }kjk izkr% ,oa lk;a dh ikyh esa igpku fp=ksa dh enn ls vyx&vyx Hkjk tk;sxkA gkFkh igpku ds ekud& gkFkh ,oa gkfFk;ksa ds >q.M dks izR;{k :i ls ns[k dj gkfFk;ksa dh igpku ,oa vk;q dk fu/kkZj.k fd;k tk ldrk gSA QhYM dehZ vius vuqHko ds vkËkkj ij bldh igpku dj ldrs gSA igpku ds dqN ekud fuEu izdkj gks ldrs gS& 1- uj gkFkh nks izdkj ds gks ldrs gS] izFke ftuds nka¡r gksrs gS rFkk nwljh ftuesa nk¡r ugh ik;s tkrs vkSj ,sls narghu uj gkFkh dks e[kuk gkFkh dgrs gSA e[kuk >qaM ds lkFk gksus dh fLFkfr esa mUgsa eknk ls fHkUUk djuk taxy esa dfBu gksrk gSA bleas lko/kkuh cjruh vko’;d gSA vxj fcuk nk¡r dks dksbZ gkFkh vdsyk fn[kkbz nsrk gS rks mudh e[kuk gksus dh lEHkkouk vf/kd gksrh gSA 2- miyC/k djkus gsrq izi=ksa esa gkfFk;ksa dh vk;q oxZ dk fu/kkZj.k buds daËks dh ÅapkbZ ds vk/kkj ij fuEu izdkj dh tk;sxhA

¼v½ o;Ld (Adult) Ukj&dU/ks dh ÅapkbZ 08 QhV ls vf/kd ;k 240 lseh0 ls vf/kdA Ekknk&dU/ks dh ÅapkbZ 07 QhV ls vf/kd ;k 110 lseh0 ls vf/kdA ¼c½ fd'kksj o;Ld (Sub-Adult) Ukj&dU/ks dh ÅapkbZ 05 QhV ls 08 rd ;k 151 ls 240 lseh0 rdA Ekknk&dU/ks dh ÅapkbZ 05 ls 07 QhV ls rd ;k 151 ls 210 lseh rdA ¼l½ cPPkk (Juvenile) dU/ks dh ÅapkbZ 04 ls 05 QhV rd ;k 121 ls 150 lseh0 rdA Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 21

¼n½ nq/keq¡g (Calf) dU/ks dh ÅapkbZ 04 rd ;k 120 lseh0 rdA

3- gkfFk;ksa dh ÅapkbZ ds vk/kkj ij vk;q dk fu/kkZj.k] nk¡rks dh mifLFkfr] nk¡rks dh eksVkbZ] ihB ds vk/kkj ij] iwaN dh yEckbZ ds vk/kkj ij] iSjks dh Nki ds vk/kkj ij] gkfFk;ksa dh igpku gsrq dqN js[kk&fp= layXu fd;s tk jgs gSA izf'k{k.k dk;ZØe gkFkh x.kuk dk dk;Z o”kZ 2015 ds lEcU/k esa leLr izf’k{k.k le;kUrxZr iw.kZ dj fy;k tk;sA mfpr gksxk fd izHkkxh;@mi izHkkxh; Lrj ij ;g izf’k{k.k vko';drkuqlkj vk;ksftr fd;s tk;A izf'k{k.k dk;ZØe fuEu izdkj lEcfU/kr vf/kdkfj;ks }kjk lEiUu djk;k tk;sxk] ftldh frfFk ,oa dk;ZØe ls os lEcfU/kr izHkkxh;@o`Rrh; vk;kstdks o la;kstd dks voxr djk;saxsA gkFkh x.kuk ls lEcfU/kr fn’kk&funsZ’k %& 1- ;g lqfuf’pr dj fy;k tk; fd izHkkx ds lEiw.kZ dk;Z {ks= dks x.kuk bdkbZ esa ckaVk tk pqdk gS vkSj dksbZ Hkh {ks= NwVk ugh gSA x.kuk dh bdkbZ chV gh ekuh tk;sxh ijUrq ou {ks= ls ckgj fn[kkbZ nsus okys gkFkh ;k gkFkh >q.M lehiorhZ chV esa ‘kfey dj fy;s tk;A 2- Xk.kuk bdkbZ;ks ds lkFk lEcfU/kr izx.kd] leUo;d] vk;kstd dh lwph uke lfgr x.kuk ls iwoZ rS;kj dj yh tk; rFkk leUo;dks ,oa izx. kdks dks muds dk;Z{ks=ks dh Hkyh&Hkakfr tkudkjh ns nh tk;A 3- izx.kdksa dks funsZf'kr fd;k tk; fd x.kuk ds iwoZ fnukad 01 ls 03 twu ds nkSjku o viuh&viuh chVksa ds gkfFk;ksa dh fLFkfr ds ckjs esa tkudkjh izkIr dj ysa rkfd x.kuk fnolksa esa mUgsa vf/kd ls vf/kd gkFkh fn[k ldsaA 4- Xk.kuk dk;Z lEiUu gksus ds i’pkr~ izHkkxokj fooj.k 1%50000 ds iSekus ds ekufp= ij rS;kj fd;k tk;sxk] ftls izHkkxh; vk;kstd ladfyr dj o`Rrh; vk;kstdks ds ek/;e ls la;kstd dks miyC/k djk;saxsA 5- ;g lqfuf’pr dj fy;k tk;s fd x.kuk esa iz;ksx fd;s tkus okys izi= rFkk vU; lkexzh iz;kZIr ek=k esa izx.kdksa ,oa leUo;dks dks x.kuk ls iwoZ ns nh x;h gSA izR;sd izx.kd ny dks U;wure 04 x.kuk izi= miyC/k djk;s tk;sA 22 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND

6- ;g Hkh lqfuf’pr dj fy;k tk; fd x.kuk eas iz;qDr gksus okys fu/kkZfjr izi=ksa dks Hkjus ,oa lkexzh ds mi;ksx dh tkudkjh ds ckjs esa i;kZIr izf’k{k.k lHkh deZpkfj;ksa@vf/kdkfj;ksa dks ns fn;k x;k gSA 7- gkFkh x.kuk ds nkSjku lHkh izHkkxh; oukf/kdkfj;ks ,oa muds fuEu Lrj ds vf/kdkfj;ksa@deZpkjh yxkrkj QhYM esa jgsaxs vkSj x.kuk dk;Z lkoËkkuh iwoZd lapkyu djsaxsA th0ih0,l0 gsrq izpqj ek=k esa vPnh cSVjh ¼lsy½ ys fy;s tk;s o bUgsa chV izx.kdksa dks ns fn;k tk;A 8- f’kokfyd gkFkh fjtoZ ds lHkh izHkkxks esa th0ih0,l0 miyC/k gS ftudk mi;ksx gkFkh x.kuk dk;Z esa fd;k tk;sxkA gkfFk;ksa ds >q.M ns[ks tkus ds LFky dh th0ih0,l0 ls v{kka’k o ns’kkUrj o leqnz ry ls ÅapkbZ vafdr dh tk;sxhA izHkkxh; vk;kstd ;g lqfuf'pr dj ysa fd leLr izx.kdks ds ikl Bhd fLFkfr esa th0ih0,l0 miyC/k gS ftUgsa izf'k{k.k ds nkSjku pSd dj fy;k tk;A 9- lEiw.kZ mRRkjk[k.M esa gkFkh x.kuk lss iz;kZIr vkadMksa dk ladyu ,oa fo’ys”k.k rFkk x.kuk ds vfUre ifj.kkeksa dh lwpuk dsoy izeq[k ou laj{kd] oU;tho] mRRkjk[k.M ds LRkj ls gh izdkf’kr dh tk;sxhA vr% x.kuk ds ifj.kkeks dks vius Lrj ls fdlh Hkh Jksr dks miyC/k ugh djk;saxsA izx.kdksa }kjk {ks= esa Hkjs x;s leLr izi=ksa dks lqjf{kr j[kk tk;sA 10- gkFkh x.kuk dh vof/k esa dksbZ Hkh vf/kdkjh@deZpkjh vodk’k ij ugh tk;sxkA 11- jst esa miyC/k nSfud Jfedksa dks x.kuk ds fnu x.kuk dk;Z esa mi;ksx dj ldrs gS rFk vko’;drk iM+us ij izR;sd chV esa nSfud Jfed bl dk;Z gsrq izx.kd nyksa esa lfEEkfyr fd;s tk ldrs gSA 12- gkFkh x.kuk esa yxs Jfedksa o dfeZ;ks ds fy;s xqM puk] [kk+| lkexzh o ikuh ds iz;kZIr O;oLFkk Hkh lqfuf’pr djk yh tk;sA 13- x.kuk dk;Z esa XkSj ljdkjh laLFkkuksa] ehfM;k] izsl] izfrfuf/k;ksa fo’fo|ky; ,oa fo|ky; ds Nk=&Nk=kvks] voSrfud oU;tho izfrikydksa vkfn dk Hkh lg;ksx fy;k tk; o mUgsa gkFkh x.kuk dk;Z dh egRRkk rFkk rdfudh igyqvksa dh tkudkjh ns nh tk; rkfd muls lkFkZd ;ksxnku fey lds rFkk x.kuk esa ikjnf’kZrrk cuh jgsaA budh lwpuk Hkh x.kuk ds vUr esa la;kstd dks miyC/k djkbZ tk;s fd fdu&fdu laLFkkuksa ,oa O;fDr;ksa }kjk dgka&dgka x.kuk dk;Z esa Hkkx fy;k x;kA 14- gkFkh x.kuk ds vkadMks ds ladyu ,oa fo’ys”k.k esa oU;tho {ks= esa dk;Zjr izfrf”BRk laLFkkuksa tSls&Hkkjrh; oU;tho laLFkku] Hkkjrh; ou Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 23

vuqla/kku laLFkku] Hkkjrh; oU; izk.kh losZ{k.k vkfn dk Hkh lg;ksx izkIr fd;k tk ldrk gSA

layXud%&igpku ds js[kk&fp=A gkFkh x.kuk o"kZ 2015 dk x.kuk izi=A

Hkonh;

(MkW0 /kuat; eksgu) eq[; ou laj{kd ¼iz’kklu½] oU;tho laj{k.k ,oa vklwpuk] mRRkjk[k.M] i=kad 3091 @ rn~fnukafdr izfrfyfi%&fuEufyf[kr dks lwpukFkZ ,oa vko';d dk;Zokgh gsrq izsf"kr& 1- izeq[k lfpo] ou ,oa i;kZoj.k] mRRkjk[k.M ‘kklu] nsgjknwuA 2- ou egkfujh{kd ,oa funs’kd] gkFkh ifj;kstuk] Hkkjr ljdkj] ubZ fnYYkhA 3- izeq[k ou laj{kd] mRrjk[k.M] nsgjknwuA 4- funs’kd] Hkkjrh; oU;tho laLFkku] pUnzcuh] nsgjknwuA 5- eq[; oU;tho izfrikyd] mRRkjk[k.M] nsgjknwuA 6- eq[; ou laj{kd] x

(MkW0 /kuat; eksgu) eq[; ou laj{kd ¼iz’kklu½] oU;tho laj{k.k ,oa vklwpuk] mRRkjk[k.M] 24 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 25 26 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 27 28 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 29 30 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND

Appendix 5 Guidelines for analysis of data Elephant census Uttarakhand 2015

Background The Elephant census in the state of Uttarakhand was conducted in four sessions over two days in the state of Uttarakhand in the year 2015. The dates of the census were 4th and 5th of June 2015 with sessions from 6am to 11am and 3pm to 7pm on each day. Beat was the basic unit of the census and in each beat the census was done in four sessions. As a result in each beat 4 proforma were required to be filled up. In case no sighting was made, even then ablank proforma is to be submitted with comments on the presence absence of evidences of the elephants at the bottom of the proforma.

Methodology The methodology for Uttarakhand elephant census 2015 is total count through direct sightings i.e. all the distinct elephants seen would be counted and added across the state. The methodology will yield minimum population of elephants in the state as there will always be some elephants which would be missed out.

Analysis It will be a multi-tier process with analysis being done at various hierarchical levels starting from beat to section to range to sub- division to division to circle/director. The idea behind the analysis is to take care of the double counts since few elephants/herds can be counted more than once. This can happen within a beat or across nearby beats which may be within same range or within adjoining ranges of a division or two adjoining divisions which may belong to same or different circle. For example, a herd of 6 elephants comprising of 4 females, one sub-adult of unknown sex and one calf may be seen in a beat in Ramnagar division's area near Kosi river on 4th afternoon session and may again be seen on 5th morning session on the other Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 31

side of Kosi river in Corbett tiger reserve. The same here will thus get recorded in proforma of the beats in Ramnagar FD as well as in Corbett Tiger Reserve on 4th AN & 5th FN respectively We may have more examples where an elephant or herd is seen more than once in the same beat and thus get registered in the different proforma form the same beat.

The following steps would be taken at the beat level: 1. The beat in charge would plot a point for each of the sighting of elephant/herd on his beat map with number of elephant and time of sighting written against them and arrow indicating directions of movement if noted. 2. The beat in-charge would then look at the details of the sightings and ascertain distinct individual/herds by establishing individual identity of the same.

For individual elephants which in almost all cases should be males (mostly tuskers and rarely makhnas) the identification marks should be made use of to ascertain the identity as given in the general instructions dated 25th May 2015. This should be substantiated primarily with photographs taken during the count and also through the location and direction of movement. Thus if a tusker is sighted twice during the count in the same beat in two different sessions, it has to be mentioned in the proforma below the table that this elephant has also been sighted on ­­­­______date and _____session. So this would thus be mentioned below both the proforma where the same elephant has been sighted giving the details of the other sighting. The corresponding rows should be highlighted or encircled for identifying the double counts entries. On the beat map too, the corresponding sighting location points should be encircled and connected with a line.

For herds also this has to be done in a similar manner. Here the identity of the herd has to be established primarily through its composition and substantiated by photographs, location and direction of movement. In 32 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND case of double counts, same procedure has to be adopted to mention it on the proforma and map.

3. The section officers should guide the beat in-charges in the above process

The following steps would be taken at the section level:

Once all the beats are through with the above procedure, the section in-charge (foresters/dy. rangers) would collect the proforma and the beat maps marked with sighting locations and start to look at the entire section together. Here they would concentrate on all the sightings together across beats and look at herd compositions solitary elephant sighting and wherever there are similarities look for locational proximity, direction of movements and photographs for ascertaining distinctness of the herd. In case of individual elephants besides above the individual identity marks should also be made use of. Thus wherever there are same elephant/herd seen in different beats, these should be identified and marked and a composite listing of all the distinct elephant/herds should be made with all the details as in the proforma. Thus they would be making a new proforma with the same columns as in the beat level proforma without the last column. The double counted elephants/herds would be entered only once in this proforma with both (or multiple) sub-entries of first four columns. They would also prepare section maps which will have all the sightings of the section with the double (or multiple) counted sightings encircled and connected with a line. The proforma will have a total number of elephants for the section as a total of column 16.

The range officers shall provide guidance to the section officers in the above procedure.

The following steps would be taken at the range/sub-division/division/ circle level: Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 33

The procedure at range/sub-division/division/circle would be similar to that of section level and at each level double counting is to be checked particularly at the areas in the periphery of the lower hierarchical level. For example when range officers are collating data, they should look at the sightings near the peripheral areas of the sections more carefully for double counting as here same elephants/herds are likely to be counted across two adjoining sections.

Thus at the circle/director level we should have the final number for the respective areas. These would then be analysed and collated at the wildlife headquarters in consultation with the participating CCFs/ Directors/CFs. 34 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND

8 8 Actual sightings Actual 57 10 21 27 59 108 223 208 1177 1385

8 8 Total after analysis after Total 27 84 59 55 10 21 197 850 185 1035 6 8 0 8 0 3 0 1 3 0 0 0 Appendix 6 not be whose known sex and age could Elephants 2 8 0 1 3 0 1 0 14 65 22 87 Below 01 year Suckling calves 1 2 8 0 3 2 23 20 11 10 118 138 year

01 to 05

Juveniles Total 4 0 7 1 3 0 39 41 12 19

187 228 Female 2 8 0 5 1 0 24 31 13

111 142

Male 2 4 0 2 6 1 2 0 15 76 10 86 to 15 years) Sub-adult (05 3 4 9 3 71 68 10 31 13 17 360 428

Adult Female Total 3 5 5 5 3 44 34 10 19 27

112 146 Makhna 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 13 14

Tusker 3 5 5 4 3 Classification of elephants seen based on guidelines 42 99 33 10 18 27 Adult Male 132 Division/Circle Western Circle Ramnagar Tiger Reserve Kalagarh Tiger Reserve Corbett Tiger Reserve Champawat Haldwani Terai central Terai east Terai west Ramnagar North Kumaon Circle Haridwar Uttarakhand Elephant Census-2015 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 35 2 0 0 27 174 262 470 2348 2 0 0 27 248 160 309 1797 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 17 0 3 0 0 17 13 31 149 0 3 0 0 44 31 52 259 0 0 0 0 23 16 72 362 8 0 0 0 0 13 46 225 8 0 0 0 0 10 26 137 0 1 0 95 69 12 719 122 0 7 1 0 66 31 32 291 1 0 1 0 0 0 5 22 0 6 1 0 65 31 27 269 Shiwalik Circle Narendra Nagar Total Uttarakhand Kalsi Lansdowne Bhagirathi circle Rajaji National Park Dehradun 36 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND Appendix 7 Elephant Census Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 37 824.3 39.52 39.52 sq km 384.07 595.79 487.37 404.97 1562.3 390.74 233.31 433.43 504.82 626.73 661.62 Area in 1288.35 Appendix 8 0 0 2 27 55 84 10 21 59 27 248 160 185 850 1035 2015 0 0 0 31 43 23 11 52 26 116 264 186 743 314 429 2012* 1 5 4 7 3 3 0 38 31 27 238 180 622 107 515 2007 0 20 29 25 13 28 18 18 27 78 314 130 157 638 560 2005 Estimated number of Elephants 6 8 0 92 36 13 12 12 77 85 301 139 627 150 477 2003 0 7 0 75 21 18 13 13 88 90 303 125 590 149 441 2001 Year Division/Circle Tarai West Division Haldwani Division Ramnagar Division Tarai Central Division Tarai East Division Bhagirathi Circle Narendrnagar Shiwalik Circle Haridwar Kalsi Lansdowne Dehradun Division Corbett Tiger Reserve Kalagarh Tiger Reserve Ramnagar Tiger Reserve Uttarakhand Elephant Census-2015 & comparative trends 38 Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 6643.5 205.21 205.21 851.62 2696.5 8 8 309 197 1797 26 26 302 224 1559 10 10 55 418 1346 9 9 416 115 1510 18 18 469 155 1582 27 27 453 121 1507 Total North Circle Division Champawat Rajaji National Park Western Circle * Based on dung decay method. Only mean figures taken. Wild Asiatic Elephant Population Estimation 2015 : UTTARAKHAND 39

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