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&BEYOND PHINDA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE WELCOMES TUSKERS from TEMBE ELEPHANT PARK October 2020 Two Adult Elephant Bulls Were

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&BEYOND PHINDA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE WELCOMES TUSKERS from TEMBE ELEPHANT PARK October 2020 Two Adult Elephant Bulls Were &BEYOND PHINDA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE WELCOMES TUSKERS FROM TEMBE ELEPHANT PARK October 2020 Two adult elephant bulls were recently translocated from Tembe Elephant Park to &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa to better balance the elephant population at Phinda. As the elephant population at Phinda is made up largely of orphaned calves and cows translocated in the early 1990s and the few older males nearing the end of their life expectancy, the reserve management team at Phinda made the decision to bring in two additional mature bulls of 30 or older in order to preserve the age structure of the population. With the reserve having once formed part of the natural range for the herds at Tembe Elephant Park, the decision was made to source two bulls from the nearby elephant reserve. Tembe is home to one of only three indigenous elephant populations in South Africa and the only indigenous elephant population in KwaZulu- Natal. “It is gratifying to see Tembe elephants being introduced to protected areas in KwaZulu-Natal, where they once roamed freely. All Tembe’s elephants have the potential to become big tuskers and spreading their genes amongst other populations facilitates the additional preservation of these genes. It is hoped that, as they spread their genes into new populations, these magnificent animals will leave behind a legacy of both great biodiversity and tourism significance in their new homes,” says Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife District Ecologist Cathariné Hanekom. “Given the ecological similarities between Tembe and Phinda, the elephants should adjust well to the similar vegetation and climatic conditions.” Tembe is well known for its big tuskers, or male elephants with tusks that weigh over 45.5 kg (100 lbs). With such tuskers now rarely found in Africa, the possibility that the two males from Tembe would pass on their genetic predisposition to large tusks to future generations at Phinda was an additional bonus. Two elephant bulls approximately 30 years of age were identified for the translocation and were collared in July 2020 in anticipation of the move. The animals were transported from Tembe to Phinda in mid-September and have settled well in their new home. Both will continue to wear their tracking collars to facilitate daily monitoring and tracking while they become accustomed to their new home. The collars will be removed once the reserve team is satisfied that the elephants have settled in well. The data acquired during the monitoring period will also contribute towards a doctoral study on the movements of African savannah elephants in relation to water sources. Both bulls have impressive tusks for their age and it is hoped that they will develop into true tuskers when they mature at around 45 years of age. Copyright © 2012 &Beyond Disclaimer: &Beyond is not liable for any errors or omissions. See our Trading Terms | User Agreements “The translocation has gone well so far,” says Simon Naylor, Reserve Manager at &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve. “Moving big bull elephants is always risky and these are two of the biggest tuskers ever translocated. We will monitor them very closely but I believe we are past the period with the highest risk of them potentially trying to go back to Tembe. We did a lot of work on our reserve fences to ensure that the elephants would not be able to break out, which is always a threat in the first few days after translocation. However, the new arrivals have settled well. Both of them are feeding, they have found water quickly and have already had some interaction with our resident bulls, as well as some of our breeding herds. It’s very satisfying to see Tembe elephants walking the lands of Phinda and Zululand once again.” “There are always a lot of people involved in a translocation like this and we are grateful to the staff at Tembe Elephant Park, in particular, Len Gunter, the Park Manager.” “Translocating any elephant is a mammoth task, with many associated risks. Translocating one of the biggest tuskers I have ever moved, coupled with the challenging terrain at Tembe, made for a very stressful but memorable event. There was a great sense of satisfaction watching the elephant get off the transport truck safely and walk off into the Phinda wilderness. My hope is that the great tusker will not only contribute to the genetics of the resident elephant population, but will also act as an ambassador for the protection of the remaining Zululand wilderness for generations to come,” added Kester Vickery, head of the experienced elephant capture specialist team of Conservation Solutions. Situated in the far north of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal Province, on the border with Mozambique, Tembe Elephant Park is a 30 012 hectare (74 161 acre) game reserve established by the Tembe Traditional Authority and Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife in 1983 to protect the local communities from the elephant herds that used to migrate between Maputaland in the north-east of South Africa and southern Mozambique. The area was known as the home of one of the last remaining free-roaming wild elephant populations in South Africa, making it significant from a historical point of view. The reserve was fenced in gradually and the elephants remained free to roam north into Mozambique until 1989, when the herds had settled and the northern border could finally be closed. The park played an important role in providing a refuge for the species, which had been traumatised as a result of the widespread poaching that existed from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, during the civil war in Mozambique. Eventually opened to the public in 1991, Tembe is home to some of the largest remaining tuskers in southern Africa. &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve also has an extensive history with elephant conservation and became the first private reserve to reintroduce the species in 1991. The first arrivals were 18 elephants, all less than ten years of age and orphaned in the culls that took place to regulate elephant numbers in the Kruger National Park at that time. Another 20 young elephants were translocated from the Kruger in 1993, with the first mature adults only arriving from Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe soon after. A further 14 elephants, including a full breeding herd, were moved from the Kruger to Phinda in 1994. The first elephant calf was born on the reserve in the first year. As adult bull elephants were typically not translocated in the early 1990s, Phinda’s new elephant population consisted mainly of orphaned calves and elephant cows, with few males of 17 years or older. Three mature bull elephants from the Sabi Sand Game Reserve were introduced in 2003 in order to provide these highly social animals with a more balanced age structure to the population. As one of these older bulls died in 2010 and the remaining two have also reached a ripe old age, the mature bulls from Tembe will play a vital role in maintaining the proper structure of Phinda’s elephant population. The translocation was made possible by sponsors Tara and Jessica Getty, as well as James and Simone Godfrey, who covered the bulk of the costs, and facilitated by the members of the Mun-Ya-Wana Conservancy &Beyond, Zuka and Bumbeni. ISSUED BY: [email protected] www.andBeyond.com ABOUT &BEYOND &Beyond designs personalised high-end tours in 13 countries in Africa, five in Asia and four in South America, offering discerning travellers a rare and exclusive experience of the world as it should be. We own and operate 29 extraordinary lodges and camps in iconic safari, scenic and island destinations in Africa and South America. This enables us to positively impact more than 9 million acres of wildlife land and 2 000 kilometres of coastline. Established in 1991, &Beyond strives to leave our world a better place than we found it through our care of the land, wildlife and people, and the delivery of extraordinary guest experiences. 2 .
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