Effective #ecologicalmonitoring of an #animal population implies good knowledge of its spatial & temporal dynamics. Different field techniques has been used to estimate the age and sex population structures in the wild elephants, but they are often expensive and logistically difficult, particularly in developing countries. Authors applied the method of dung circumference measurements coupled with an individual recognition to assess age & sex structure of the elephant population.
Hema, E., Di Vittorio, M., Petrozzi, F., et al. (2017). First assessment of age and sex structures of elephants by using dung size analysis in a West African savannah. European Journal of Ecology, 3(1), pp. 1-8. doi:10.1515/eje-2017-0001
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The dung size measurement methodology should be privileged over alternative methods (direct sightings) because of its simplicity and low economic costs, which is well suited to the African savannah countries in general.
