Multi-source photographic evidence to assess corridor use, crop-raiding behaviour, and body injuries in Asian elephants

Abstract

This study investigated the use of multi-sourced photographs, such as those from social media, camera traps, and field surveys, for individual identification of male Asian elephants to study their corridor use, crop-raiding behaviour, occurrence of musth, ranging and external body injuries in the Thirunelli-Kudrakote elephant corridor in India's Western Ghats. A total of 330 images and videos were analysed over 11 years (January 2014 to March 2024), leading to the identification of 27 male elephants from the corridor. Eleven individuals were observed across multiple years, demonstrating their fidelity to the area. Ten elephants were observed engaging in crop-raiding, with four consistently raiding crops within the corridor. The study also assessed the home range of 6 individuals in the corridor and adjacent landscapes based on individual identification. Overall, the study shows that identifying individual elephants across different locations and times provides valuable data and is a practical, cost-effective method for investigating a wide range of questions concerning the ecology and behaviour of Asian elephants. The findings underscore the potential of citizen science initiatives to enhance elephant research across elephant-range countries.