Food and feeding habits of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus Linn.)

Abstract

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.