Home Range and Ranging Behaviour of Bornean Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) Females

Abstract

BackgroundHome range is defined as the extent and location of the area covered annually by a wild animal in its natural habitat. Studies of African and Indian elephants in landscapes of largely open habitats have indicated that the sizes of the home range are determined not only by the food supplies and seasonal changes, but also by numerous other factors including availability of water sources, habitat loss and the existence of man-made barriers. The home range size for the Bornean elephant had never been investigated before.Methodology/Principal FindingsThe first satellite tracking program to investigate the movement of wild Bornean elephants in Sabah was initiated in 2005. Five adult female elephants were immobilized and neck collars were fitted with tracking devices. The sizes of their home range and movement patterns were determined using location data gathered from a satellite tracking system and analyzed by using the Minimum Convex Polygon and Harmonic Mean methods. Home range size was estimated to be 250 to 400 km2 in a non-fragmented forest and 600 km2 in a fragmented forest. The ranging behavior was influenced by the size of the natural forest habitat and the availability of permanent water sources. The movement pattern was influenced by human disturbance and the need to move from one feeding site to another.Conclusions/SignificanceHome range and movement rate were influenced by the degree of habitat fragmentation. Once habitat was cleared or converted, the availability of food plants and water sources were reduced, forcing the elephants to travel to adjacent forest areas. Therefore movement rate in fragmented forest was higher than in the non-fragmented forest. Finally, in fragmented habitat human and elephant conflict occurrences were likely to be higher, due to increased movement bringing elephants into contact more often with humans.

Wild Asian elephant Elephas maximus population in Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand

“…Most elephants were found in the flat plains, which is consistent with the findings of other studies (Pradhan & Wegge 2007, Varma 2008, Zhang 2011, Alfred et al 2012, and also where most waterholes are located (Alfred et al 2012). Elephants generally avoid feeding or walking in upland areas in order to save energy (Wall et al 2006).…”

Movement and home range characteristics of reintroduced tiger (Panthera tigris) population in Panna Tiger Reserve, central India

“…All GPS collection schedules used for this analyses varied between 4 and 6 h. The mean horizontal spatial accuracy for the Telonics® Inc and Vectronic Aerospace® GPS radio collars was 2-10 m (Telonics Gen4 GPS Systems Manual 2009). while, it was 1-15 m for the African Wildlife Tracking® Inc collars (Alfred et al 2012).…”

Dispersal and ranging patterns of the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) in relation to their interactions with humans in Nepal

“…The Asian elephant is distributed in many types of habitats throughout its range, which spans across 13 countries (Alfred et al 2012;WWF 2013). The distribution of elephant is widely influenced by the distribution and seasonality of its natural food plants.…”

“…In tropical regions during the dry season the diet is dominated by browse, while grasses comprise the majority of the diet when they are plentiful during the wet season (Sukumar 1989). In recent decades, large-scale conversion of forests to agricultural land and human settlements (Sukumar 2006) has significantly reduced the area of elephant habitat, resulting in reduced accessibility of natural fodder (Alfred et al 2012) and water (Leuthold 1977), and increasing seasonal forest fires (Joshi & Singh 2008). Such factors are forcing a large percentage of these animals to migrate to areas outside of their historical range, and to target alternative foods (Sukumar 1989).…”

“…Habitat fragmentation increases the contact between elephants and agriculture, with the intensity of conflict due to such contact usually being higher in more fragmented habitats. In terms of management, therefore, fragmented forest habitats should be connected to secure habitats that are large enough to sustain the elephant population (Alfred et al 2012).…”