NEW ASSAMESE SPECIES OF ELEPHANT?

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060116/asp/northeast/story_5717589.asp

Brahmaputra cuts through jumbo genes

- River divides two species

ROOPAK GOSWAMI

 

A herd of elephants at Kaziranga National Park

Guwahati, Jan. 15: An international study on genetic diversity of

elephants in India has found that the Brahmaputra seems to have been a

bio-geographical barrier separating the elephant population in the

Northeast into two genetically distinct groups. This has kindled a lot

of interest and debate in Assam among wildlife conservationists.

 

Researchers from the Centre for Ecological Science at the Indian

Institute of Science, Bangalore, and from the Earth Institute at

Columbia University have discovered that one of groups of the few

remaining Asian elephants in India, is actually made up of two

genetically distinct species.

 

Prithiviraj Fernando, a post-doctoral researcher at the Centre for

Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC), and Don Melnick,

executive director of CERC at the Earth Institute together with

colleagues from the Centre for Ecological Science, collected dung

samples of 300 wild Asian elephants and 30 captive ones.

 

The scientists, after analysing DNA in the dung, found that the

Northeast's elephant population is actually made up of two genetically

distinct groups separated by the Brahmaputra. An earlier study by the

same authors showed that the southern elephant population is also

genetically distinct, separated by the Palghat gap. The research was

published in the Animal Conservation journal recently.

 

Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, secretary general of Aaran-yak, a biodiversity

conservation society, said the fact that elephants have never crossed

the Brahmaputra is not true.

 

Talukdar said the study might be possible but it is still premature to

say that the region has two species or sub species of elephants.

of Manas Tiger Reserve, Abhijit Rabha, however, said it is

true that the elephant population in the Northeast is made up of two

genetically distinct groups as can be seen from the animals in

Goalpara, Kamrup and those from Upper Assam. " It is good that a

scientific study has been carried out to unravel the truth. The

current of the Brahmaputra makes it difficult for the elephants to

cross over to other areas. "

 

Wildlife expert Anwaruddin Choudhury said the Brahmaputra is not a

bio-geographic barrier in elephant distribution as the pachyderms

regularly cross the river and there are populations that live on both

the banks, such as Dibru-Saihkowa, Kaziranga, Majuli, Dhakuakhana and

Pani-Dihing.

 

Head of department of zoology, P.C. Bhattacharjee, said two distinct

populations do not mean two subspecies and it is essential that DNA

studies be carried to find out the elephant diversity.

 

The study said despite the low and declining numbers of Asian

elephants, relatively little is known about their genetic diversity,

which is crucial to plans for preserving the species.