THE FEASIBILITY OF USING MARK AND RE-SIGHT METHODS TO ESTIMATE ASIAN ELEPHANT POPULATIONS

摘要

An important objective of the three-year study on elephants and their habitats in RajajirnNational Park (RNP) was to estimate the size of the elephant population in the study area. Various mark and re-sight methods were tested, using identified males and female groups in the study area. This paper briefly presents the results of the two methods used to test mark and re-sight methods of population estimation. The two methods described below were not carried outrnwith as equal effort across all of the forest blocks sampled as hoped for; therefore, the estimates have to be taken more as an index rather than as an accurate estimation. However, it is planned to randomize the sampling design in subsequent studies to come up with more reliable estimates. The main purpose of this paper is to illustrate the potential of using mark and re-sight methods of population estimation, where individual elephants can be identified, using natural characteristics, or marked with a radio transmitter.