The number of elephants has gone up in Andhra Pradesh, with the latest census figures showing that around 40 jumbos have made the bordering areas of the state their habitat. The elephant census beginning on May 21 has ended, and officials have compiled the figures. The tuskers are found in Chittoor, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts. According wildlife department officials, there were around 35 tuskers during the last census, and the number has increased to 40 this year. The jumbo census is undertaken once every five years.
The Koundinya wildlife sanctuary in Chittoor district, which is on the border of Tamil Nadu, is reported to have more elephants than the Vizianagaram-Srikakulam forest area bordering Odisha. The elephants have made the Koundinya sanctuary their home, even though earlier they only used to migrate from neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The sanctuary spread over 357.6 square kilometres is the only elephant reserve in the state where the elephants have returned after 200 years. The Vizainagaram-Srikakulam forest area, which is also a habitat of elephants, is yet to be declared a sanctuary.