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Regular monitoring of elephant populations is essential to ensure the long term survival of elephants. Especially the monitoring of individual males tuskers and makhnas assumes significance as this helps both in determining the sex-ratio of the population as well as identifying the individuals who are most exposed to the risk of poaching.

Contents: Forewords. 1. Introduction. 2. Methods. 3. Results and conclusion. 4. Keys for tusker identification. 5. Quick reference of listed tusker.

From the introduction: The Asian elephant Elephas maximus an endangered species (IUCN Red list 2010, currently occurs in distinct ranges across 13 countries from the Indian subcontinent in the west to Indo-China in the east Leimbruber et al. 2003). Asian elephant numbers in many protected areas in Asia are under constant threat because of habitat fragmentation, habitat degradation and increasing human-elephant conflicts (Williams, Johnsingh and Krausman, 2001).