Browsing by Author "Jacob V Cheeran"

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Food and feeding habits of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus Linn.)
(Department of Wildlife Science, College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 1994) Vinod, T R; Jacob V Cheeran
The present investigation was carried out in Idukki wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala during 1992 – 94 with the objective of identifying the food plants of elephants and to study the feeding habits of the animal in its natural condition. The study also aimed at finding out how elephants acts as a seed dispersal agent and to estimate the elephant population in the study area. Information on food plants of elephants in the study area was obtained by direct observation. Activity time budget was also studied by direct observation. The proportion of time spent in grazing, browsing and debarking, were computed by observing the elephants in different habitats and noting the time spent on each category of feeding. Elephants in Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary were found to feed on 61 species of plants. About 38 per cent of the food plants belong to the family Poaceae. Barks of 24 species of trees were eaten. Fruits of Careya arborea and Dillenia pentagyna were also commonly consumed by elephants. Feeding accounted for 65.45 per cent of elephant activity in dry season whereas it was 80.77 per cent in wet season. Time spent in drinking varied from 2.73 per cent in dry season to 1.96 per cent in wet season. The seasonal difference in time spent in feeding is found to be significant whereas that of drinking is found to be non-significant. Grazing was predominant in both dry (63.89 per cent) and wet (71.43 per cent) seasons. Search for fresh elephant dung were made and undamaged seeds were collected. Trees were located and raw seeds were also collected and the germination rate was compared with raw seeds. Elephant in the area was found to act as a seed dispersal agent. A total of 682 seeds representing 4 species were collected from the elephant dung. Seeds of Dillenia pentagyna and Careya arborea were found to be most frequent and abundant in the dung examined. The germination rate was slightly higher in the ingested seeds as compared to the fresh seeds collected from the trees. A direct simultaneous count was made in the area. A total of 72 elephants were observed. The ecological density was estimated to be 1.6 animal/Km2 and crude density was about 0.9 animal /Km2. Herd size varied from 1 to 19 in wet season to 1 to 10 in dry season. The male-female ratio of adults was found to be 1:15.3. Dung density distribution showed a clear movement of elephants from the sanctuary to the adjoining areas.
Habitat utilisation of animals and their parastic burden with special refference to elephant in Vazhachal Forest Division , Kerala, South India
(Department of Wildlife Science, College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 1996) Animon, M M; Jacob V Cheeran
An investigation was carried out in Vazhachal Forest Division, Kerala, South India during 1994-95 to identify the habitat utilization and seasonal movement patterns of the wild elephants (Elephas maximus indicus). Estimating the population of elephants, finding out the impacts of elephants on woody vegetation, identifying the internal parasites of elephants, studying the need and type of mineral supplements and assessing the importance of Vazhachal as a zone of tourism were also aimed by this study. Habitat utilisation and seasonal movements were studied by indirect methods based on dropping count. Population was estimated by a direct simultaneous count. Vegetation damages were assessed by demarcating plots of size 25x25 m randomly in the study area. Parasitic analysis of fresh dungs was done by centrifugal sedimentation technique and microscopical examination. Mineral mixtures of different concentrations were placed in the area to study the preference for minerals. Data on income from Vazhachal was collected to assess the importance of Vazhachal as tourism centre. Seasonal movements reflected the habitat utilization patterns. Preference of habitats by elephants varied with season. Moist deciduous forests were preferred most in winter season whereas it was least preferred in summer. Evergreen forests were preferred over the moist deciduous forests only during summer season. Acacia plantations were most preferred in summer seasons and was least preferred in first rainy season. Preference for teak plantations were comparatively high during summer and first rainy season. A seasonal movement from thickly vegetated east end of the division to open and secondary forest dominated west end was evident. Great variations in dung densities of individual transects indicated a continuous movement of elephants in the study area. Elephant population at Vazhachal comprised of 155 elephants with a sex ratio (male : female) of 1:6.5 and a crude density of 0.38 elephant/km2. Debarking and breaking tops were the main forms of damages in Teak (Tectona grandis), Papitta (Pterocymbium tinctorium) and Albizia (Albizia falcataria) plantations. Breaking of tops and pushing over accounted for main damages in Bombax (Bombax ceiba) plantations. Damages were comparatively less in moist deciduous and evergreen forests. A total of 35species were found to be debarked in whole of the study area. Elephants preferred mineral mixture with high concentration of minerals and this stresses the need of supplementation of required minerals. Majority of the dungs analysed showed the presence of parasites strongylus and tape worm, indicating heavy infection. Increase in income from tourism in Vazhachal indicates the increasing importance of Vazhachal forests in the tourism map of Kerala. The tourist influx was found to vary with changes in rainfall pattern.