Seasonal home ranges of elephants (Loxodonta africana) and their movements between Sabi Sand Reserve and Kruger National Park

Abstract

We studied the seasonal home ranges and space use of three breeding herds of elephants (Loxodonta africana) for 3-5 years in an area comprising South Africa's Sabi Sand Reserve (SSR) and Kruger National Park (KNP). Global Positioning System (GPS) transmitters were attached to the matriarchs of three herds and set to transmit a single daily location. Each herd was located in SSR 31%, 60% and 84% of the time. During the wet summer months, the herds walked longer distances and occupied larger seasonal home ranges than during the corresponding dry winter period. Core areas were centred on riverine habitats within both parks, with all three herds exhibiting closer distances to rivers and artificial water holes than would be expected if they were moving randomly. Home ranges within SSR overlapped much of the park. However, in KNP they occupied discrete areas with little overlap. Much of the movement between the two parks occurred along welldefined corridors. This study shows that elephant herds depended upon the resources of both parks, providing an insight into their within-and between-seasonal movements. This highlights the importance of ongoing co-operation between wildlife managers from both parks when forming policy. RésuméNous avons étudié les domaines vitaux et l'utilisation de l'espace saisonniers de trois troupeaux d'éléphants (Loxodonta africana) pendant trois à cinq ans sur une superficie qui englobe la Sabi Sand Reserve (SSR) et le Parc National Kruger (PNK), en Afrique du Sud. Des colliers GPS ont été fixés sur les matriarches des trois troupeaux et réglés pour transmettre une seule localisation par jour. Chaque troupeau s'est trouvé respectivement 31, 60 et 84% du temps dans la SSR. Pendant les mois d'été humides, les troupeaux parcouraient de plus longues distances et occupaient des domaines vitaux saisonniers plus vastes que pendant la période hivernale sèche correspondante. Les zones principales se concentraient sur des habitats riverains dans les deux parcs, les trois troupeaux se trouvant à des plus courtes distances des rivières et des points d'eau artificiels que s'ils s'étaient déplacés simplement au hasard. Dans la SSR, les domaines vitaux couvraient une grande partie du parc, mais au PNK, ils occupaient des lieux bien définis qui se recouvraient peu. La plupart des déplacements entre les deux parcs se faisaient le long de corridors bien délimités. Cette étude montre que les troupeaux d'éléphants dépendent des ressources des deux parcs et donne un aperçu de leurs déplacements saisonniers. Ceci souligne l'importance de la coopération actuelle entre les gestionnaires de la faune des deux parcs au moment d'établir une politique.

Wildlife tracking technology options and cost considerations

“…On the basis of these criteria, the present paper develops a technologychoice decision guide to assist wildlife scientists in selecting an optimal tracking technology. We undertook four satellite-tracking case studies involving avian, aquatic and terrestrial species living in diverse environments of the world, including the following: three African elephants (Loxodonta africana), Kruger National Park, South Africa (Thomas et al 2008;Thomas et al 2011); five New Zealand bush falcons (Falco novaeseelandiae), central North Island, New Zealand (Thomas et al 2010c); one estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), Darwin, Australia (Thomas et al 2010a) and; three northern royal albatrosses (Diomedea sanfordi), Taiaroa Head, New Zealand (Thomas et al 2010b). We use these case studies to validate and test the technology-choice decision guide and to calculate the cost effectiveness of alternative tracking methods.…”

Elephants in the neighborhood: patterns of crop-raiding by Asian elephants within a fragmented landscape of Eastern India

“…Conflict occurs around the year, with seasonal peaks often coinciding with harvesting time of agricultural crops ( Sitati et al, 2003 ). Elephants show risk avoidance strategy by evading areas of human settlements during the day and thus raid crops mostly at night ( Sukumar et al, 2003 ; Graham et al, 2009 ; Gunn et al, 2014 ).…”

“…We (1) analyze the temporal and seasonal patterns of crop-raiding, (2) identify the spatial drivers and potential hotspots of crop-raiding, and (3) understand sex-biased crop-raiding behavior. Based on the review of previous studies on elephant activity ( Sukumar et al, 2003 ; Graham et al, 2009 ) which suggests nocturnal patterns, we hypothesize that a higher number of crop-raiding events will occur during the night. Considering elephants to be a landscape dependent species ( Hoare & Du Toit, 1999 ; Thomas, Holland & Minot, 2012 ; Bi et al, 2016 ), we hypothesize that probability of crop-raiding should be higher in areas with forests (refuge), periphery of protected areas and availability of water.…”

Water for African elephants ( Loxodonta africana ): faecal microbial loads affect use of artificial waterholes

“…We selected sampling locations to ensure an even latitudinal distribution within the KNP. Selected waterholes were more than 3 km away from other permanent water sources, which is the average distance that elephants normally travel per day to drink [15]. Artificial waterholes are fed from boreholes using solar panel-powered pumps.…”