Elephants in Tarangire

Abstract

Tarangire National Park which covers an area of 2,600 sq km has a estimated elephant population of 2,319. Elephants are thought to have moved into the Park and the surrounding Lolkisale Game Controlled Area and Simanjaro Plains as a result of poaching and harassment in other areas. Poaching of the Tarangire populations was severe in the 1970's with a carcass ratio of 32% reported for 1977, but this had decreased to 6.7% by 1988. The study reports on the age and sex structure of the elephant population in the Tarangire ecosystem which as a whole covers approximately 20,500 sq km supporting a population of about 6,110.