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Text by Michael Chase Photographs by Kelly Landen elephants at TEXT BY MICHAEL CHASE LPHOTOGRAPHSA BY KELLY LANDENRGIn recent decades,E Botswana’s elephant numbers have recovered from near collapse to being far and away the largest free-ranging population in Africa. Never mind South Africa’s so-called elephant ‘problem’, northern Botswana lays claim to 150 000 of these habitat drivers and their increasingly noticeable impacts have been the subject of a growing debate. Michael Chase has been tracking elephant movements in the region since early 2001 and his findings are casting invaluable light on the situation. WWW.AFRICAGEOGRAPHIC.COM 37 t’s 2002 and I am deep in the With estimates of up to 150 000 elephants Two years later, I was counting, elephant heartland of Botswana. (30 per cent of the total population), the collaring and tracking Botswana’s From my vantage point in an country now faces a number of difficult elephants, but I soon realised that they elevated hide, I start counting the challenges in elephant conservation and could not be studied in isolation. During elephants that have come to drink management. For me, though, the the 1980s, large numbers of elephants Iat the Noghatsaa waterhole in Chobe situation presents an opportunity to had sought refuge here, fleeing Angola’s National Park. I am astounded by the realise a lifelong ambition to study the civil war, poaching in Zambia and sheer numbers that are passing through ecology of these animals. culling operations in Zimbabwe’s this series of artificial waterholes. The In 1999, while working as a wildlife Hwange National Park. And so, between herds are probably the largest seen in ecologist for Conservation International 2001 and 2007, researcher Kelly Landen recent times. A week later, I return to (CI), I submitted an ambitious proposal and I, together with a small team of collar one of the animals, but they have aimed at enhancing our understanding experts, set about collaring nearly all disappeared. of elephant movements. Many of the 50 elephants in northern Botswana, ABOVE A large herd gathers to enjoy Over the next four years, on four previous studies had been conducted in Namibia and Zambia. Soon after the the bounty of the miombo woodlands separate occasions, I see upwards of relatively small conservation areas, collars were fitted, we started receiving in Sioma Ngwezi National Park, Zambia, 5 000 elephants amassed in one place in surrounded by human settlements, data that significantly altered long-held during the wet season. northern Botswana, but it’s not until where elephants may not have demon- assumptions about elephant migrations. 2005, during another impressive ag- strated their full movement potential. OPPOSITE, TOP With little else to gregation of elephants on the Linyanti This, however, would be the first grand- e learned that the home Elephants using artificial waterholes, browse on, elephants rely heavily on floodplains, that I am able to deploy any scale transfrontier elephant study using ranges of elephants in such as those in Savuti, had the largest mopane during the dry season, causing satellite collars. For the next two years, state-of-the-art satellite tracking Wnorthern Botswana were the home ranges. One young bull that was much concern and debate about the these collars provide me with continuous technology. most variable to be reported for African collared at a waterhole moved over an carrying capacities of these forests. data about the movements of three Under the supervision of John Hanks, elephants. Those collared along the impressive 24 828 square kilometres, elephants. They convince me that I have then head of CI’s transfrontier conser- perennial rivers of the Chobe, Zambezi the largest home range ever recorded for OPPOSITE The Okavango Delta is an discovered the largest and longest vation area (TFCA) programme, and with and Okavango tended to roam over an African elephant. These epic journeys elephant’s paradise, yet in the wet migration of these pachyderms on the funding from the US Fish and Wildlife small areas. (The smallest was 910 square are highly significant, considering that season many elephants move away African continent. Service, we believed this study would kilometres belonging to a 45-year- the average range of elephants in the from this 14 000-square-kilometre oasis. Once on the verge of extinction, provide the impetus for a vast conser- old elephant bull.) The year-round rest of Africa is just 3 000 square kilo- Botswana’s free-ranging elephant vation area. Curtice Griffin, professor occurrence of elephants here, as well as metres. The only other studies that PREVIOUS SPREAD Calcrete soil along population is now the largest in Africa. of wildlife ecology at the University their sedentary home ranges, indicates report comparable movements come the Chobe River in Botswana comes as It’s a considerable achievement, but both of Massachusetts, subsequently con- that they are probably not being limited from northern Namibia and Mali, arid a welcome, cooling relief for parched, the animals and the Batswana have vinced me to turn this research into by food and water, and that severe im- areas where elephant movements are tired elephants. become victims of their own success. a doctoral study. pacts to local vegetation will continue. relatively unrestricted. 38 AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC • JUNE 2008 WWW.AFRICAGEOGRAPHIC.COM 39 boundaries, indicating that there is It is impressive cross-border migra- much interaction between elephant tions such as these that have allowed us populations in northern Botswana, to map key wildlife corridors. Letsatsi Zimbabwe and Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. and her herd used a 30-kilometre gap in Furthermore, elephants in these three the Caprivi–Botswana border fence to countries are serving as the source for get into Angola. This area along the repopulating south-eastern Angola and Kwando River forms the largest corridor south-western Zambia. for elephants moving from Botswana into Angola and Zambia across the n 2007, I completed my degree and, Caprivi Strip. If the fence along the determined to continue my studies, southern boundary of Botswana’s I my colleages and I established a NG13 concession was realigned, the small NGO called Elephants Without conservation corridor would widen to Borders (EWB). With a grant from the 150 kilometres, thereby enhancing Shikar Safari Club in the US, we were wildlife dispersal into Angola. able to pursue our investigations into Following Letsatsi’s lead, EWB elephant ranging behaviour. decided to visit Angola in November Lush and green, the Okavango Delta 2007. The purpose of our trip was is ideal habitat for elephants. So, when twofold: to provide the government we collared Letsatsi, an adult cow near with information on elephant distrib- Vumbra on its north-eastern floodplains, ution and abundance in Luiana and we didn’t expect her to wander too far to obtain its endorsement to embark Sixty-nine thirsty elephants wait their from this sanctuary. However, when the on a fourth aerial survey. turn to wallow in one of the few shallow first rains arrived in October, the On the way to Menongue, the pans in Khaudum National Park, Namibia. matriarch and her herd surprised us by provincial capital of Kuando-Kubango, travelling 210 kilometres across three I was amazed by the vastness of the countries into Luiana Partial Reserve, a province and the absence of people 10 740-square-kilometre conservation and wildlife. Under Portuguese colonial area in south-eastern Angola. rule, the region had abundant game, elephants, 65 per cent occurred outside WHOSE ELEPHANTS? protected areas. Despite this large range, there are Data from eight elephants collared in the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area is providing valuable insights into increasing barriers to elephant move- how free-ranging elephants use space. There are small, but encouraging signs that, since the end of the civil war, some ments. None of our collared elephants, elephants are recolonising parts of Angola. By doing so, they may start to ease the congestion of animals in northern Botswana. for example, penetrated intact vet- erinary fences. Botswana’s fences have been the focus of international controversy, but they have had an unintended positive repercussion. The fences have effectively separated agricultural and grazing lands from conservation areas, and have reduced the encroachment of livestock, crops and human disturbances into the elephants’ range. Over a period of 21 months, one of our elephants (a bull known as ‘03’) ranged across 21 000 square kilometres, ABOVE A matriarch is darted on the A major factor contributing to the size and covered a straight-line distance of Angola–Namibia border in the Caprivi of the ranges is that elephants in more than 460 kilometres from his Strip. Botswana are free to roam over a collaring site in Botswana. He had a wilderness area encompassing some short excursion into Hwange in TOP Once the cow is stable, the EWB 115 000 square kilometres, of which Zimbabwe, then moved north-west team – including Kelly Landen (left) and 75 000 square kilometres are set aside across the Caprivi Strip towards Katima the author (centre) – take measurements for wildlife conservation. With the Mulilo, where he crossed the Zambezi and fit the collar. additional data gathered from Angola, River into Zambia. Although his four- Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, country odyssey is particularly im- we have been able to plot the largest pressive, cross-border movements are contiguous elephant range in Africa. not unusual. Interestingly, though, of the 80 000 GPS All in all, 35 of our collared elephants fixes that we received from our collared have moved across international 40 AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC • JUNE 2008 WWW.AFRICAGEOGRAPHIC.COM 41 The KAZA TFCA The KAZA TFCA (Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area) will allow for conservation on the scale at which elephants evolved, as well as create an opportunity for sustainable development and co-management of shared ecosystems.
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