Considering the importance of public engagement and awareness around elephant conservation, 2019 saw us taking part in the annual South African Wildlife Management Symposium. This conference was attended by 160 delegates including wildlife scientists and managers alike with Tammy Eggeling, presenting on the aims, objectives, and methods of ERTs welfare project which was still in its beginning phase at that point. Next, we hope to be able to present some interesting findings that will provide further insight into better understanding elephant dynamics in the context of highly managed fenced reserves.

Abstract

To manage elephants (Loxodonta africana) we need to understand the importance of their social
dynamics. The majority of existing small to medium reserves in South Africa contain elephants
selectively translocated from Kruger National Park (KNP) or other southern African countries. Often
elephants are introduced into conservation areas and are managed primarily based on total numbers
and carrying capacity. However, we are finding that it is increasingly important that social structure
and dynamics are equally considered when carrying out management actions. Such examples include
considering population structure and social dynamics during elephant introductions, translocations
and the effective implementation of conceptive regimes. Social networking analysis reveals that
elephants are selective in their social grouping choices and can respond differently to environmental
factors based on their group composition. Without complete population structures and consideration
of social bonds, the welfare of these elephants comes into question as this leads to increased stress
levels and abnormal movement and social behaviours. Stressed elephants can often become very
aggressive and thus pose a threat to themselves, other animal species, people and infrastructure.
This project aims to develop parameters for measuring welfare under the various conditions based on
rigorous monitoring on several reserves across South Africa. This will be done primarily by looking at
the different intensities of management of elephant, measuring stress hormone levels from dung while
also quantifying and comparing both large and fine scale behavioural tendencies of the elephants in
these reserves. This will create a framework better guiding sustainable elephant management
directives.