Camera-trap technology captures what is suspected to be the last elephant in Knysna forest
2019-02-07 05:32
Correspondent
Research conducted in the Knysna forest has captured what may be the last elephant roaming the area.
The latest Knysna elephant survey by South African National Parks (SANParks) captured the presence of a female elephant in the forest.
Using camera-trap technology, the entire elephant range was monitored for more than a year and only one elephant was captured - repeatedly.
"The cameras were all active for 15 months and during this time the same female elephant was identified in 140 capture events - always by herself. No other elephants were photographically captured," said SANParks scientist Lizette Moolman.
Moolman added that the process also revealed more information about the standalone giant.
"She is about 45 years old and moves in the indigenous forest and fynbos areas on SANParks and neighbouring private land."
Paddy Gordon, Park Manager of the Garden Route National Park, said the camera traps also assisted SANParks management to understand what else lived in the forest.
"Camera traps have assisted to inform management not only about the elephant, but also about other wildlife prevalence and movements, and how these are potentially disturbed by both legal and illegal activities in the forests," said Gordon.
"We will use the information provided by this research to further monitor and manage the forest areas, fynbos and neighbouring private land."
https://www.news24.com/Green/News/camer ... t-20190207
Knysna Elephants
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Re: Rare Knysna elephant sighting excites forest contract worker
SANParks scientists share recent findings of the Knysna elephant. Lizette Moolman, SANParks scientst says 'the Knysna elephant is of the same subspecies as all the other elephant populations in South Africa, namely Loxodonta africana. The elephants that roam in Central African rainforests are of a different subspecies namely Loxodonta cyclotis.'
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Re: Rare Knysna elephant sighting excites forest contract worker
Counter argument on census numbers from researcher using DNA on Facebook :
Gareth Patterson
1 hr ·
Yesterday a Business Day article announced the findings of a trail camera census of the Knysna elephants, stating that only one elephant exists. I knew about the outcome of this study over a year ago and it did not worry me then, nor now - because it is simply (thankfully) wrong in my opinion. By the way, scientists are moving away from this form of census as it can be inaccurate.
My long years of field work on these special elephants has proved that they brought themselves back from the brink (see my book, The Secret Elephants). Additionally I undertook two DNA census's. The results of the first in 2007 indicated the presence of five (relatively young adult) females. Results of the second (2009) came up with the same five females, plus a sixth that we missed the first time round. Field work additionally indicated the presence of three bulls and of calves.
Below is a link to our peer reviewed paper of the DNA study.
https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/han ... sAllowed=y
High tech DNA aside, simple measurement of hind foot diameter (and circumference measurement of dung bolus) scientifically indicates age of elephants. Hundreds of such measurements over the years has indicated we have different aged elephants here - from young calves to large bulls. Elephants are amazing animals, grieve their dead, 'speak' with infrasound, but they certainly are not capable of shrinking or enlarging their footprints. You do not have to be an elephant expert to see there are different sizes of footprints here.
I worry daily about the Knysna elephants as it is a tiny endangered population. But if I believed that only one of these elephants exists, I would be the very first person to say, 'How could we allowed this to happen?' And I am not saying this. What I would strongly recommend scientists to do though, is to undertake a comparison DNA census to determine the current numbers of the Knysna elephants.
Gareth Patterson
1 hr ·
Yesterday a Business Day article announced the findings of a trail camera census of the Knysna elephants, stating that only one elephant exists. I knew about the outcome of this study over a year ago and it did not worry me then, nor now - because it is simply (thankfully) wrong in my opinion. By the way, scientists are moving away from this form of census as it can be inaccurate.
My long years of field work on these special elephants has proved that they brought themselves back from the brink (see my book, The Secret Elephants). Additionally I undertook two DNA census's. The results of the first in 2007 indicated the presence of five (relatively young adult) females. Results of the second (2009) came up with the same five females, plus a sixth that we missed the first time round. Field work additionally indicated the presence of three bulls and of calves.
Below is a link to our peer reviewed paper of the DNA study.
https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/han ... sAllowed=y
High tech DNA aside, simple measurement of hind foot diameter (and circumference measurement of dung bolus) scientifically indicates age of elephants. Hundreds of such measurements over the years has indicated we have different aged elephants here - from young calves to large bulls. Elephants are amazing animals, grieve their dead, 'speak' with infrasound, but they certainly are not capable of shrinking or enlarging their footprints. You do not have to be an elephant expert to see there are different sizes of footprints here.
I worry daily about the Knysna elephants as it is a tiny endangered population. But if I believed that only one of these elephants exists, I would be the very first person to say, 'How could we allowed this to happen?' And I am not saying this. What I would strongly recommend scientists to do though, is to undertake a comparison DNA census to determine the current numbers of the Knysna elephants.
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Re: Rare Knysna elephant sighting excites forest contract worker
Maybe she knows where the others are
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Re: Knysna Elephants
There are as many opinions as there are people
IMO introducing elephants from elsewhere has no sense. They even say that the protagonist is not a forest elephant
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge