COIMBATORE: The elephant census, done once in five years, began in the district on Wednesday morning. Carried out by at least 84 environmentalists and volunteers, the data would be compiled and submitted to the wildlife warden in Chennai at the end of the four-day census on Saturday evening.Wednesday morning saw hectic activity outside all the forest department offices and check posts along the forest fringes, including Mettupalayam, Pollachi and Periyanaickenpalayam , as forest officers provided the census staff last minute tips and instructions, besides ensuring that they had the survey gear.The census would cover 24 of the 47 forest beats in the district, such as Sundapatti, Jakkanarai and Kallar in Mettupalayam. A team of five people accompanied by an anti-poaching watcher would be deployed in each beat."On the first day on Wednesday, the teams were asked to follow the direct method that is to record actual sightings," said the district forest officer, S Ramasubramaniam.In the direct method, the teams would record the size of the herd and the number of males, females, adults and calves, the time of the sighting and the precise GPS location."We have provided data sheets to the teams with separate columns to record each detail. They are expected to conclude the survey by 5.30pm or 6pm every day," the district forest officer said. "We have asked the teams to move in a criss-cross pattern, instead of taking the usual carved out walking path in the forests. This will help them cover the entire beat," he added.On the second day on Thursday, the teams would follow the indirect method and analyse the dung density. "We will give them 50m ropes to be put on a straight line along the dung groups. The teams will record the presence of dung on both the sides of the rope and the distance between the two, along with the exact GPS location. The rope will have to be placed 20 times, thus covering a stretch of at least 1km," Ramasubramaniam said.Water hole census would be carried out on the third day. This includes studying the presence of elephants around natural and man-made water bodies. The teams will also take photos of elephant herds to help identify the males, females, adults and children in the group. "Twenty-five years ago, no tuskers could be spotted because of heavy poaching. Now that poaching is controlled, tuskers are sighted. They are usually solitary animals found in groups only during the breeding season," the district forest officer said.Photos of the elephants would be taken on the fourth day too to map their presence and allow a direct count. "The data collected over the four days will be compiled on the same day and submitted to the chief wildlife officer in Chennai," Ramasubramaniam said.Coimbatore and Aanamalai are considered the main elephant habitats.

Stay updated with all the Coimbatore Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.