There’s only one Knysna elephant left Posted on 7 February 2019 After years of debate and uncertainty, SANParks has confirmed that there is just one remaining elephant in the Knysna forest. This finding comes after a team of scientists conducted a study using camera-trap technology to capture the lone elephant. Lizette Moolman, a SANParks scientist, says, ‘The Knysna elephant is of the same subspecies as all the other elephant populations in South Africa, namely Loxodonta africana.’ The camera-trap technology was strategically placed along the Knysna elephant range, and Moolman says, ‘because elephants move along defined elephant pathways, we placed our cameras on these paths and covered the elephant range evenly, with spaces between camera traps no larger than the smallest range recorded for elephants.’ Research conducted by South African National Parks scientists has confirmed the presence of a female elephant roaming the Knysna forest. How wild is that? Read more about it here: https://t.co/q0fU10Hhy6 pic.twitter.com/zFvni0JSRU — Wild (@WildMag) February 6, 2019 The study was conducted over a 15-month period, where the elephant was photographed 140 times, always on its own. ‘No other elephants were photographically captured, says Moolman. The adult elephant has been identified as a female and is around 45 years old. According to Moolman she has been moving between the forest, fynbos and private land that neighbours the forest. SANParks has been holding workshops to discuss the elephant’s future with various stakeholder groups. Head of Scientific Services Stef Freitag-Ronaldson has stated that ‘the situation is complex, with many unknowns’. Elephants are, by nature, family-oriented mammals, and herds have a matriarchal leader. Elephant families consist of the matriarch, her sisters, daughters, and babies. Family herds do however welcome in non-family members. As ellies are social animals, the fact that this female has been on her own for an undetermined time could have had detrimental effects on her well-being. For more information on this elephant’s story, watch the video below. Update: After publishing this post we were made aware of wildlife expert and author of The Secret Elephants, Gareth Patterson’s response to a similar article on Business Day. This is what he had to say: Image source: Pixabay Related Posts The Lady in the Landy: Carla Geyser 7 February 2023 "We cannot sit back and wait for a miracle to happen; every one of us... read more 88 countries agree on shark fin regulation in historic vote 22 November 2022 Panama was host to CITES in November 2022. For the first time in history, 88... read more The big question after Plett’s fatal shark attack: Why? 27 September 2022 By now, we know that sharks are not the mindless killing machines that horror movies... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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