The African Conservation Fund

Earlier this summer, the African Conservation Centre with funding from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service successfully fitted a special GPS-equipped collar on a female elephant in the Magadi region of Kenya's South Rift Valley. The aim of the project, which eventually will have four elephants fitted with GPS units that send their locations via satellite to remote receiving units, is to study the  elephants' movements, daily habits, and hopefully gain information that will allow conservationists to mitigate the effects of their presence in the South Rift region where they are re-establishing their former range after a 20 year absence. To read the full report from African Conservation Centre science director Dr. Ken Mwathe, click on the Read more button below.

Photo above: Elephant in the bush; below right, an elephant being revived by the veterinarian after being fitted with its GPS collar; all photos courtesy African Conservation Centre

The sight of a majestic African elephant is an image that is indelible in one’s memory. Their massive form, shining ivory tusks, and their innate humbleness in the harsh rangelands that traverse the East African region is a formidable sight which has amazed mankind for time immemorial.

In the 1970s, Kenya’s elephant population ranged in the hundred thousands, but by the 1990s only 16,000 free elephants remained due to rampant poaching as a result of high demand from the ivory trade. These endangered animals retreated into the national parks in the 90s under the protection of the newly established Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

The efficient rangers intensified security for the wildlife within these parks, thus decreasing poaching incidences and allowing elephant populations to rebound. As the population grew, the pressure on the habitats increased and pushed these animals out of the park boundaries in search of new ranges.

They have taken to dispersing into old habitats using their knowledge of former routes that they used to travel within the South Rift region between Mara and Amboseli, where African Conservation Centre and African Conservation Fund are assisting communities in establishing private conservation reserves and land management plans through the South Rift Association of Land Owners.

Earlier this summer, the African Conservation Centre with funding from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service successfully fitted a special GPS (Global Positioning System)-equipped collar on a female elephant in the Magadi region of Kenya's South Rift Valley. The project will eventually will have four elephants fitted with GPS units that send their locations via satellite to remote receiving units.

The collaring of these elephants will allow African Conservation Centre scientists to learn about their habitat utilization and establish an understanding of their migration routes and their seasonal movements. The Maasai communities of Shompole and Olkiramatian – known as group ranches -  in Magadi have set aside up to 20,000 hectares of their land as conservation areas which are special natural habitats for these elephants.

Since the elephants' return to this region is a recent phenomenon, it is not known whether other critical areas essential for the elephant population exist, therefore the study will help determine such habitats.

It will also aid these local communities in land-use planning and decision-making exercises. Mitigation of human-wildlife conflict will also be a critical component of this project, enabling us to determine trends that can forecast where and when elephant presence might be expected and providing Kenya Wildlife Service with accurate information in providing proactive response in reducing human-elephant conflict.

The collaring event occurred at the Olkiramatian Group Ranch. The project, a collaboration of institutions, was steered by the African Conservation Centre, under U.S. Fish and Wildlife funding, and aided by Kenya Wildlife Service, Save the Elephants, Laro Camp and an enthusiastic community from Olkiramatian and Shompole.

Our elephant, “Lorna,” who is a mother of a three-year-old calf, was identified for collaring a year ago. The day before the event took place, a reconnaissance flight identified the animals to be hiding in the woodlands known as ‘congo’ in Olkiramatian. The collaring event commenced at 6 am with another reconnaissance flight, and once the elephants were out in the open grasslands, the darting team led by a brave Kenya Wildlife Service veterinarian hanging from a harness in the helicopter darted “Lorna” with a tranquillizer.

The ground team on standby rushed towards Lorna and together with the helicopter team assisted in the collaring effort. Body measurements such as shoulder length and tusk circumference were taken, and ear and tail samples taken for genetic tests. A blood sample was also drawn and the entire exercise was complete within 20 minutes.      

The collars have a Global Positioning System (GPS) that allows determination of the precise position of the animal. The GPS saves the position of the elephant every hour, and after 48 hours it links with a satellite and downloads the information which is then stored in a central geo-database.  Data can then be downloaded to a local database at African Conservation Centre, allowing us to track the precise movements of the animal.

Right: Map showing where  “Lorna” had been foraging over a three-week period. She crossed over the Nguruman escarpment and has been on her way to Masai Mara, with a brief break in Loita Forest. Her present location is not revealed, for security reasons. (c) African Conservation Centre

See map below for location of the Magadi region in greater east Africa.

Funding for two additional collars and technical support is needed for the second phase of the collaring excise. Institutions or individuals interested in being part of this exciting work are urged to join us and the communities in Shompole and Olkiramatian in conserving these elephants that have returned once again to their homelands.

Donate now online (US tax-deductible) by clicking here. 

For more information please contact Ken Mwathe.

The small square below Nairobi contains the approximate region shown in the database map above. Elephants are returning once again to the region between Masai Mara and Amboseli, in the borderlands between Tanzania and Kenya. Conservation in Maasailand, on private land, is critical to their continued survival.

See the related article, Protecting Borderlands Elephants.