Wildlife survey begins

The survey of wildlife in the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary began on Wednesday as part of a State-wide exercise which will conclude on May 20. There are 11 blocks in the sanctuary and three to five persons conduct the survey in each block. On Wednesday, a random survey was held, said Saby Varghese, the wildlife warden. In the next two days there will be a transit survey. The estimates taken will be sent to the Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, for final tabulations. A final figure of the animal data is expected to be available after two months. The entire forest in the State has been divided into 600 blocks for the survey. Different parameters and tabulation methods are used for the final animal count. In the random survey, animal presence is broadly estimated and for the next two days, the marks left by the animals will be noted.