The effects of poaching disturbance on elephant behaviour

Abstract

Despite a favourable habitat and little pressure on land from the low density human population, the number of elephants in the Central African Republic (CAR) has suffered a dramatic decrease over the past ten years. As a result of uncontrolled poaching and little or no government action, CAR's late 1970's estimated population of 63,000 elephants was reduced to 19,000 by 1989. Extensive poaching has caused changes in the feeding behaviour and diurnal movements as well as migratory patterns of the elephants within the Gounda-St Floris National Park. As more and more older animals are killed the social system of the herds is destroyed.