Estimating Asian elephant populations has been difficult primarily
due to the dense habitats in which they are found. The indirect
methods employed under such conditions, such as dung
counts along transects, can be influenced by population size itself
– particularly if they are small – and prone to error unless decay
rates are properly calibrated.
Even direct observation via aerial counts of closed populations,
which should be unchanging in number, are subject to inaccuracy
and can sometimes give worse estimates than dung counts.