scholarly journals Panic at the disco: solar-powered strobe light barriers reduce field incursion by African elephants Loxodonta africana in Chobe District, Botswana

Oryx ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Tempe S. F. Adams ◽  
Isaiah Mwezi ◽  
Neil R. Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
National Park ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Loxodonta Africana ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
African Elephants ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Strobe Light ◽  
Solar Powered ◽  
African Lions

Abstract Managing interactions between humans and wild elephants is a complex problem that is increasing as a result of agricultural and urban expansion into and alongside protected areas. Mitigating negative interactions requires the development of new tools to reduce competition and promote coexistence. Many studies have tested various mitigation techniques across elephant ranges in Africa and Asia, with varying levels of success. Recently, strobe lights have been suggested as a potential mitigation strategy in deterring African lions Panthera leo from kraals or bomas, but this technique has to date not been tested to reduce negative human–elephant interactions. Over a 2-year period (November 2016–June 2018), we tested the effectiveness of solar-powered strobe light barriers in deterring African elephants Loxodonta africana, in collaboration with 18 farmers in a community adjacent to the Chobe Forest Reserve and Chobe National Park in northern Botswana. Although elephants were more likely to pass by fields with solar-powered strobe light barriers (which was probably a result of selection bias as we focused on fields that had previously been damaged by elephants), they were less likely to enter these treatment fields than control fields without such barriers. Our findings demonstrate the efficacy of light barriers to reduce negative human–elephant interactions in rural communities.

Home range and space use by African elephants ( Loxodonta africana ) in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liberty Mlambo ◽  
Munyaradzi Davis Shekede ◽  
Elhadi Adam ◽  
John Odindi ◽  
Amon Murwira
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
National Park ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Loxodonta Africana ◽  
African Elephants ◽  
Hwange National Park

scholarly journals Distribution and status of the African elephant Loxodonta africana in South Africa, 1652-1992

Koedoe ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. Hall-Martin
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
National Park ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Loxodonta Africana ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
African Elephants ◽  
Population Growth Rates ◽  
Elephant Population ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Consequent Increase

The historical decline of African elephants to a low of 120 animals in 1920, and their subsequent recovery to over 10 000 is described for the major populations of South Africa. Population growth rates of 6,8 and 6,7 per annum are derived from census and estimates for the Kruger National Park and the Addo Elephant National Park respectively. The reasons for elephant population control in the Kruger National Park, and the impact of elephants on both the Kruger and Addo environments, are discussed. The translocation of young elephants to found new populations is mentioned. The consequent increase of elephant range and numbers in the next decade to a possible maximum of 31 000 km2 and 13 000 animals, is envisaged.

scholarly journals Rapid population growth in an elephant Loxodonta africana population recovering from poaching in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

Oryx ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles A. H. Foley ◽  
Lisa J. Faust
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
National Park ◽  
Loxodonta Africana ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Annual Growth Rate ◽  
African Elephants ◽  
Tarangire National Park ◽  
Maximal Growth Rate ◽  
The Right ◽  
Annual Mortality

AbstractWe studied the demography of a subpopulation of African elephants Loxodonta africana in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, from 1993 to 2005. The Tarangire elephants had been affected by heavy poaching prior to 1993. We monitored 668 individually known elephants in 27 family groups. The population increased from 226 to 498 individuals, with mean group size increasing from 8.4 to 18.3. The average annual growth rate was 7.1% (range 2.0–16.9%). This approaches the maximal growth rate for African elephants, with corresponding minimal values for demographic parameters. The mean interbirth interval was 3.3 years, mean age of first reproduction 11.1 years, average annual mortality of elephants younger than 8 years 3%, and average annual mortality of adult females 1%. Probability of conceiving was positively correlated with annual rainfall. No significant density-dependent effects were recorded. Rapid growth was aided by high rainfall, low population density and release from the stresses of poaching. These results demonstrate that elephant populations are capable of rapid population increases for extended periods of time given the right ecological and social conditions. This has consequences for elephant conservation and management.

scholarly journals Estimating exposed pulp lengths of tusks in the African elephant (Loxodonta africana africana) : article

2008 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Steenkamp ◽  
W.H. Ferguson ◽  
S.C. Boy ◽  
S.M. Ferreira ◽  
M.N. Bester
Keyword(s):  
Missing Data ◽  
National Park ◽  
Loxodonta Africana ◽  
African Elephant ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
African Elephants ◽  
Statistical Property ◽  
Pulp Exposure

Captive and wild African elephants frequently suffer tusk fractures. Several institutions shorten the tusks of captive elephants to reduce fractures and injury as a result of behaviour within enclosures. Fracturing or coronal amputations that expose pulp lead to pain for the elephant. Estimating coronal pulp lengths may thus help to minimise the risk of pulp exposure during amputations. We aimed to determine the length of the pulp beyond the lip margin from an external tusk characteristic. Tusks collected from elephants in Namibia and the Kruger National Park had similar morphological relationships. This statistical property allowed us to correct for missing data in our data sets. Pulp volume and pulp length correlated with tusk circumference at the lip. Even so, the circumference at the lip could not predict the length of the pulp in the crown external to the lip. Our findings suggest that tusks, irrespective of sex or age, amputated further than 300 mm from the lip should not expose pulp.

Sexual dimorphism in the performance of chemosensory investigatory behaviours by African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Behaviour ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 146 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Bruce Schulte ◽  
Thomas Goodwin ◽  
Anna Whitehouse ◽  
Helen Loizi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
National Park ◽  
Loxodonta Africana ◽  
African Elephants ◽  
Investigatory Behaviour ◽  
Age And Sex

AbstractSexual dimorphism in morphology can be accompanied by behavioural differences between the sexes. We examined if investigatory behaviour involving the trunk of African elephants showed sexual dimorphism. Males compete and search for females, but they have a lengthy period of development before they are socially viable mates. Receptive females are relatively rare. We hypothesized that males would display higher rates of chemosensory behaviour following puberty than females. Because males disperse, they were hypothesized to be more likely to contact elephants outside their kinship group. We observed the trunk tip, chemosensory behaviours of African elephants at Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa. For 208 elephants, we found no significant differences in state behaviours around waterholes by age or sex. Yet, older elephants were more likely to investigate the environment and elephant excrement than younger animals. Males were more likely to investigate urine and faeces than females. Only post-puberty animals contacted non-family with males investigating both sexes, while investigations by and to females only involved post-puberty males. Overall, the probability of performing chemosensory behaviours depended on age and sex. Male elephants appear more reliant than females on signals in urine and faeces with ensuing inspections of individuals through trunk tip contacts.

Vocal stress associated with a translocation of a family herd of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

Bioacoustics ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jozua Jakobus Viljoen ◽  
Andre Ganswindt ◽  
Christopher Reynecke ◽  
Angela S. Stoeger ◽  
William Richard Langbauer
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
National Park ◽  
Loxodonta Africana ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
African Elephants

scholarly journals Emotional States of African Elephants (Loxodonta africana) Kept for Animal–Visitor Interactions, as Perceived by People Differing in Age and Knowledge of the Species

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 826
Author(s):  
Ilaria Pollastri ◽  
Simona Normando ◽  
Barbara Contiero ◽  
Gregory Vogt ◽  
Donatella Gelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Free Choice ◽  
Loxodonta Africana ◽  
Procrustes Analysis ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
African Elephants ◽  
Daily Routines ◽  
Video Clips ◽  
Behavioral Expression ◽  
Degree Of Separation

This study aimed to investigate how three groups of people of differing ages, and with differing knowledge of the species, perceived the emotional state of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) managed in captive and semi-captive environments. Fifteen video-clips of 18 elephants, observed during three different daily routines (release from and return to the night boma; interactions with visitors), were used for a free choice profiling assessment (FCP) and then analyzed with quantitative methods. A general Procrustes analysis identified two main descriptive dimensions of elephant behavioral expression explaining 27% and 19% of the variability in the children group, 19% and 23.7% in adults, and 21.8% and 17% in the expert group. All the descriptors the observers came up with showed a low level of correlation on the identified dimensions. All three observers’ groups showed a degree of separation between captive and semi-captive management. Spearman analyses showed that stereotypic “trunk swirling” behavior correlated negatively with first dimension (free/friendly versus sad/bored) in the children’s group; second dimension (agitated/confident versus angry/bored) amongst the adults; and first dimension (active/excited versus agitated/bored) amongst the experts. More studies are needed to investigate other potential differences in assessing elephants’ emotional states by visitors of different ages and backgrounds.

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