Pachyderm

Editorial Board — 2023-11-21

A culture of aggression: the Gorongosa elephants' enduring legacy of war

Joyce Poole — 2023-11-21

Humans have hunted elephants since the Palaeolithic era and, as cunning predators, have likely helped shape the animals’ sophisticated defensive behaviour. In recent centuries, the use of modern weapons in targeted mass killings has resulted in signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in elephants, including heightened aggression and impaired decision- making. During Mozambique’s long civil war (1977–1992), 90% of the elephants of Gorongosa National Park were killed. More than a quarter of a century after the end of hostilities aggression towards vehicles by elephant families is an enduring legacy. This study found that females and entire families were more likely to charge when vehicles were in close proximity (<~80 m) and on, rather than off, the roads. Although aggression was primarily initiated and led by older adult females, most charges involved mobbing by entire families, including calves. Some individuals engaged in idiosyncratic defensive behaviours, while some families exhibited distinctive group manoeuvres that appeared to form traditions, indicating that young elephants were acquiring their defensive responses within this social context. We argue that the aggressive behaviour of the Gorongosa elephants is a response to the traumatic events of the civil war and that the observed patterns of behaviour are transmitted within and across groups, giving rise to a culturally learned behavioural variant that has persisted over time and generations. Given rapid environmental change, increasing contact between elephants and people, and the extreme losses caused by poaching and armed conflict, a better understanding of the role that culture plays in the response of elephants to people is urgently needed. Conservation and management strategies may have to be adapted to meet the changing cultures of specific elephant populations.

Bridging the Rift: demonstrating large mammal landscape connectivity from Amboseli National Park to the greater Maasai Mara

Vicki Fishlock — 2023-11-21

A possible case of congenital tusklessness in a male African savannah elephant

Giacomo D’Ammando — 2023-11-21

Integrating local and scientific ecological knowledge to assess African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) populations in a data-deficient region, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Leonard K Mubalama — 2023-11-21

Given this need to study wildlife populations reliably, quickly and within financial and human resource constraints faced by wildlife managers, we evaluated the pooling local expert opinion (PLEO) as a tool for collecting extensive data on local animal abundance and population trends. We quantified reliability of abundance estimates derived from interviews by comparing them with those obtained from standard field-sampling protocols (distance sampling). We also explored the complementarity of these two approaches in assessing population status and distribution. We estimated there are c. 161 individuals in the selected Itombwe nature reserve and Luama hunting domain landscape covering 1,712 km². The highly suitable elephant habitat in the Itombwe Reserve was set at 1,045.5 km² while the largest total of low and unsuitable area was estimated to be 1,529.9 km². Overall, this study shows that the PLEO methodology provides an effective and complementary tool to estimate forest elephant trend and habitat suitability in tropical rainforests by involving local communities in biodiversity conservation. We suggest that by incorporating the PLEO methodology into regular monitoring activity, conservation bodies can create a platform that allows for participatory wildlife monitoring and create the platform to involve local communities in elephant conservation.

Speculating on transverse grooves in African elephant tusks

Ian SC Parker — 2023-11-21

One year after the rollout of the Coexistence Toolbox for reducing human-elephant conflict

Tanya Onserio — 2023-11-21

Promoting positive interactions with the traumatised elephants of Gorongosa National Park

Joyce Poole — 2023-11-21

No abstract

White rhino ecology: a comparison of two rhino populations (Ceratotherium simum simum) in South Africa and Uganda

Felix Patton — 2023-11-21

Observations on the first Inter-Calving Interval for six, particularly early breeding female white rhinos at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Uganda

Felix Jonathan Patton — 2023-11-21

African Elephant Specialist Group Chair report/Rapport du Groupe de Spécialistes de l’Eléphant d’Afrique

Benson Okita-Ouma — 2023-11-21

African Rhino Specialist Group Chair report Rapport du Groupe de Spécialistes du Rhinocéros d’Afrique

Mike Knight — 2023-11-21

Asian Rhino Specialist Group Chair report Rapport du Groupe de Spécialistes du Rhinocéros d’Asie

Bibhab Kumar Talukdar — 2023-11-21

All aboard the 'Elephant Express', a practical solution for human-elephant coexistence

Anna Songhurst — 2023-11-21

One of the most significant challenges for elephant conservation is managing negative interactions that occur where people and elephants use the same space and compete for resources. Human–elephant conflict (HEC) incidents often manifest in direct impacts to humans or elephants. However, some HEC situations result in long-term risk and chronic stress among communities living with elephants. Indirect impacts or opportunity costs, such as people being disadvantaged by the presence of elephants are harder to quantify and are not often addressed. In the eastern Okavango Panhandle, in northern Botswana, 17,500 people share space and resources with 18,000 elephants. Elephants here use distinct, historical corridors on a daily basis, moving from dryland resources to the wetlands of the Okavango Delta. Confrontations with elephants occur most frequently where these elephant corridors cross the main service road in the area, increasing fear among people walking to work, children going to school, parents sending children to school, and the elderly or expectant mothers accessing medical care. This constant fear contributes to chronic stress and can drive negative perceptions towards elephants. A novel intervention has been introduced to help reduce the costs of HEC and foster coexistence, in the Okavango Panhandle area—"The Elephant Express". The bus service was established through a multi-stakeholder collaboration to provide primary school children and medical personnel safe transport across elephant corridors. The complementary bus service have reduced stress from living with elephants, increased attendance and performance in schools, and facilitated improved access to medical care.

Twisting collars on male elephants in shrub terrain: animal welfare considerations for researchers, managers and manufacturers

Brooke Friswold — 2023-11-21

For the purposes of testing the impacts of habitat expansion on elephant movement, six XL LoRa elephant radio collars were fixed on three adult male elephants and three adult female elephants prior to a fence being removed at Kariega Game Reserve, South Africa. While none of the collars on female elephants twisted, within five months, all the male elephant collars had twisted, with some triple and double twisting. Behavioural monitoring revealed indications of irritation that resulted in the removal and/or replacement of all twisted collars. It was discovered that two of the male elephants had developed wounds underneath their twisted collars, therefore, only one elephant was re-collared, with a collar that was modified to minimize further risk of twisting, however it twisted again. To investigate this rare incidence of elevated collar twisting, our study assessed the following: elephant behaviour to guide decision-making around interventions and well-being; when, where and how these incidents occurred to investigate the mechanism of twisting and the likelihood of human error; collar design and refurbishment to develop recommendations to minimize the likelihood of twisting; and data obtained from organizations using elephant collars for comparison. From this, it was theorized that browsing behaviour in bulls in dense vegetation, and inadequate collar design were the likely causes in twisting occurrence. We urge organizations using LoRa elephant collars to emphasize post-application monitoring, and exercise caution, when attaching on bulls in dense vegetation. We encourage collar manufacturers to thoroughly investigate twisting incidents and adjust collar structures accordingly, and inform clients about the possibility of twisting. By addressing these issues, we can better ensure the well-being of elephants, research success, and improved device safety and efficacy.

Behaviour and habitat preferences of translocated rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis) at Manas National Park, Assam, India

Deba Kumar Dutta — 2023-11-21

Manas National Park (MNP) is located in the foothills of the Himalayas along the border between India and Bhutan. The original greater one-horned rhino population (Rhinoceros unicornis) of the Park was annihilated in the year 2000 by poaching. Less than a decade later, a new rhino population was reintroduced with the support of Indian Rhino Vision 2020, as part of a wider programme that included infrastructure improvements, anti-poaching schemes, and other management interventions. Between 2008 and 2021, 22 rhinos were translocated to MNP from Kaziranga National Park (KNP) and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (PWS). Post-release monitoring was carried out over a six-year period, from 2008–2013, during which 10 animals (three adult males, four adult females, and three calves) were monitored continuously, using radio telemetry to track collared animals, and direct observation to monitor their behaviour. The study period yielded 4,941 radio-tracked locations and 3,711 observations, which provided sex/age specific seasonal data on activity patterns, home ranges, association patterns, habitat preferences, and ‘stray incidents’ when animals wandered outside the Park boundaries. Some differences from behaviour patterns observed in high flood-risk areas such as KNP and PWS were attributable to MNP’s slightly higher elevation that protects rhinos from annual river floods. Overall, however, the translocated rhinos did not exhibit significant differences in their behaviour and ranging patterns compared to wild rhino populations documented in previous studies. This suggests that the translocated rhinos were able to adapt effectively to their new environment. The first calf was born to a translocated adult female in 2011 and, by 2022, the population of rhinos in MNP was estimated at 50 individuals, including 38 calves born following the reintroduction. This study demonstrates the potential of well-managed translocation schemes to contribute to the recovery of endangered rhinos.

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