- Summary
- Objectives
- Status
- Project Publications
This study of bull elephants is a comprehensive, multi-faceted initiative aimed at advancing our understanding of male elephant behaviour and ecology while actively contributing to their conservation. Building upon a robust foundation of long-term data spanning over 14 years, this project integrates historical insights with current fieldwork efforts to generate novel findings and inform evidence-based conservation strategies. Analysing data from direct observations and camera trap deployments, the project seeks to unravel the complexities of bull elephant behaviour, including their social dynamics, movements, and habitat use patterns. By leveraging existing long-term data, researchers can contextualize current observations within a broader temporal framework, facilitating a deeper understanding of how bull elephant populations have evolved over time in response to changing environmental conditions and human pressures.
The objective of this study is to better understand the bull elephant ecology and behaviour to determine appropriate initiatives for their conservation in southern India
- In collaboration with the Karnataka Forest Department, a comprehensive Asian elephant action plan was developed for the Ramanagara Forest Division. Based on historical and current evidence on elephant populations, land management practices, and habitat changes, the overarching goal of this action plan is to improve the conservation status of elephants in the region.
- Enhancing the skills and effectiveness of task force members who are on the front lines of managing human-elephant interactions is crucial to address issues that arise from human-elephant encounters effectively. Two elephant task forces within the Karnataka Forest Department were trained on pivotal issues such as conflict resolution strategies understanding elephant behaviour, and best practices for monitoring elephant movements.
- Understanding population dynamics is essential for effective management and conservation strategies, for which age of elephants in a population need to be determined. We developed a non-invasive method to estimate elephant age through camera trap-based height estimation.