Key Points

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve Field Director Anupam Sahay said that the elephants have been moving in the national park since 2018, and the idea behind profiling them was to gain insights into their behaviour.

"There has been continuous movement of elephants in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve since 2018. It was felt that if their identity is established, it would be very helpful in monitoring them and studying their behaviour," Sahay told reporters here.

He said that Wildlife Research & Conservation Society (WRCS) has come forward to assist with identifying the elephants in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. A team of experts is documenting the giants and analysing their movements.

"For this, WRCS, an NGO, has come forward to assist with this process. A team of experts comprising three to five members is engaged who enter the park from time to time and take photographs of the elephants, and through photographic analysis, identify which individual elephants are moving in this area," the Field Director said.

Sahay added that identification of nearly 12 elephants has been completed, and the aim is to profile all 60 to 80 elephants in the national park.

"Till now, we have completely identified about 12 elephants. This process is ongoing, and efforts are being made to develop complete IDs of all the 60 to 80 elephants roaming in Bandhavgarh," he said.

- ANI