Elephant census begins in North Bengal

The Forest department today began the three-day elephant census in the national parks and other forests of North Bengal.
The elephant census which is carried out every four years started in Baksha, Jaldapara and Gorumara National Parks of North Bengal, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO-Wildlife 2) Sunita Ghatak said.
In the last census, the total elephant count in the national parks and other forests in North Bengal was found to be around 350 and this time the figure is going to rise, the DFO said.
15 teams have been formed to carry out the census till December 17, Ghatak said, adding, the teams comprise officials of the forest department and NGOs.

As the census is being carried out, the three national parks in the area - Baksha, Jaldapara and Gorumara would be closed for tourists till December 17, a forest department official said today.