SOUTH AFRICA

Tracking Animals for Conservation

Elephant Tracking Report

February – October 2014

We would like to provide you with an update of the movements of some of our collared

elephants within the Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR), Kruger National Park

(KNP) and the Limpopo Transfrontier Park in Mozambique (LTP).

We enjoyed the support of various parties when it came to re-collaring Intwandamela and

Soshangane.

The four elephants collared within the Pafuri-Makuleke Concession of the KNP have

stayed within the borders of the Park.

Within the APNR, the cows have not deviated much from their usual home ranges as for

most of the older bulls. Summer, being an exception, has moved her range far south into

the KNP from Southern Timbavati and has covered distances of up to 70km per week. We

did enjoy two of our collared bulls, Classic and Gower, spending almost two months in

each other’s company.

We hope you enjoy this latest report.

Save the Elephants – South Africa/Elephants Alive

Report prepared by

Michellene Munro

P.O. Box 960 Hoedspruit 1380 Tel: +27 (0) 710063900

www.savetheelephants.org

https://www.facebook.com/STE.SouthAfrica https://twitter.com/STE_SA

PAFURI ELEPHANTS, NORTHERN KRUGER NATIONAL PARK:

The Pafuri, Northern Kruger

National Park (KNP),

elephants have restricted

most of their movements to

the Makuleke Concession

Area between the Luvuvhu

and Limpopo rivers.

Mapimbi (a young bull)

having moved the furthest

South East during March

2014.

The cows, Nwankwimbi,

Agnes and Mangala did not

differentiate much between

their wet and dry season

ranges.

ASSOCIATED PRIVATE NATURE RESERVES ELEPHANTS: COWS (HERDS)

Charlise, a cow collared in

April 2012 in the Balule

Private Nature Reserve,

from the Hollywood Stars

herd, still has her home

range mainly on Balule and

Klaserie Private Nature

Reserve’s borders, but

during the early and late

wet season, moves through

Klaserie South-West into

Timbavati (Feb-March) and

back to her usual range

during the dry seasons.

Diney, a cow from the

Flower herd, first collared

in 2004 has her home

range covering an area

of the KNP and Umbabat

Private Nature Reserve.

She stayed within the

Umbabat and went as far

as the Olifants river

during the late wet

season. From her

movements last year and

this year, we can see

that she is slowly

exploring more and more

into the KNP each year.

Lapajuma from the

Roman Names Herd are

rather elusive and

difficult to find in the field,

even though her

movements show that

she doesn’t deviate from

her home range in the

North of Klaserie Private

Nature Reserve.

Summer (from the Trees

Herd) has had the most

interesting movements

amongst our collared

breeding herds. She has

rather suddenly taken to

travelling rapidly, up to 70km

in a week, to the South,

crossing over Manyeleti and

Sabi Sands Private Nature

Reserves down into the KNP,

South of the Mbyamiti River

and moving between

Mbyamiti, Nsikazi and

Nwasitshaka rivers. In

October, she moved back

North again into the

Timbavati Private Nature

Reserve and we were hoping

to re-collar her in recent

collaring operations, but she

evaded us by once again

moving far South!

Umbabat, from the Parks

Herd, moved to the North

Eastern border of the

Timbavati Private Nature

Reserve during the Early

Wet Season, thus we

can see that she moved

South and West back to

Klaserie Private Nature

Reserve, where she has

remained during the

early and late dry

seasons, most likely

keeping her herd near

water sources and good

vegetation.

Yvonne, from the

Grasses Herd, stayed

within the Balule Private

Nature Reserve during

the late wet season and

only in July of the early

dry season, did she

move East across

Klaserie Private Nature

Reserve to where

Klaserie, Umbabat and

Timbavati Reserves

border each other,

spending some time

there. During the late dry

season she moved

between Klaserie and

Balule Private Nature

Reserves a couple of

times with her family.

ASSOCIATED PRIVATE NATURE RESERVES ELEPHANTS: BULLS

Classic, one of our favourites as

he really is a splendid bull, comes

into musth in late February and

that’s why he moved the most

during the late wet season. As you

can see from his movements, he

starts coming out of musth in the

early dry season and then moved

back into the dense Mopani veld

of the Northern APNR area. He is

a dominant bull and almost always

to be found with a group of

younger bulls in his wake,

including Gower (another of our

collared bulls), as you will see

from their movements below.

Gower, one of our mature collared

bulls, lovely to study when not in

musth, has been moving all over

the APNR and even in the KNP up

to the Timbavati River. From his

movements, it can be seen that he

comes into musth around mid-May

and then moves South into

Timbavati Private Nature Reserve

and even North West up to Balule

Private Nature Reserve. As he

comes out of his annual musth

cycle, he returns to his home

range, during the late dry season

(mid-August), in the dense Mopani

veld of the North Eastern

Umbabat, Timbavati and Klaserie

Private Nature Reserves.

Our travelling duo, Classic and Gower, we’re interesting to follow over this period as it is

fortunate to have two of our collared bulls travelling companionably together for almost two

months. They spent the last two months of the late dry season together, travelling between the

dense Mopani veld and various waterholes. They were part of a group of up to 11 bulls all

together. Both older bulls seemingly guiding and teaching the younger bulls.They were even

noted to occasionally cross paths with Matambu, another of our older collared bulls over this

period.

Proud, a majestic bull, has a large

home range and travels between

Umbabat, Timbavati and Klaserie

Private Nature Reserves. As can

be seen from his movements, he

was most active during the late

wet season and was in all

likelihood experiencing his annual

musth cycle. During the early dry

season, he spent most of his time

in the South-Eastern area of

Umbabat Private Nature Reserve

and also the North-Eastern corner

of Timbavati moving more into the

dense Mopani veld in the area

where Umbabat, Klaserie and

Timbavati border each other also

crossing paths with other collared

bulls such as Classic, Gower and

Matambu.

Matambu, a placid adult bull,

spends most of his time in

Umbabat Private Nature Reserve

and the North Western corner of

Timbavati Private Nature reserve.

Although during April and May of

this year he moved North out of

Umbabat up into Kruger National

Park. He then again went on a

Kruger excursion during August

and September this time heading

for the Letaba River towards the

Eastern border of KNP. He then,

similarly moved to the Mopani veld

for the late dry season.

Tussle, is one of our study

elephants who travels one the

greater distances. As can be seen

from his movements, he starts

moving towards the Kruger

National Park from beginning of

February, moving rapidly into the

Shingwedzi area of Northern

Kruger over the Letaba River up to

the Tsende River moving back

South again in the later part of

July. This represents his annual

musth period and Northern Kruger

is his musth area. During the late

dry season, he spent his time in

the South East of Klaserie Private

Nature Reserve.

Wessa, although collared within

the APNR seems to have his

home range in the North West of

KNP, covering Letaba Ranch as

well. During the wet late season,

he stayed within this area but in

early May of the early dry season,

he moved North across the Letaba

River and back again and then

mid-May he moved East to the

Tsende River, possibly this period

is his annual musth cycle

prompting the large movements.

By early June though, he moved

back into his usual range and

stayed within that area for the late

dry season.

SOUTH AFRICA

Wild Spirit, another bull that

although collared within the

APNR, seems to have his home

range within the East of the KNP.

He comes into his musth cycle in

early April and within a matter of

days, moves all the way from KNP

to Northern Klaserie and the

Eastern border of Balule Private

Nature Reserve. He makes the trip

back to the KNP in early July and

again moves at a rapid pace until

within his home range again. As

can be seen, he stays within his

home range in KNP for the late dry

season.

A special word of thanks to the following individuals who have kindly donated collars:

Stefan Breuer — Jerry & Madeleine Cohen – Joubert De Lange — Phyllis Gower

Martin & Sophie Haupt — Charlie Irish — Bruce Jenkins — Andreas Liebenburg — Song Lin

Brian & Claire Makare — Robert Mann — Marlene McCay — Tony McClellan

Barry & Mandy Mence — Chris Pearson — Lonnie Strickland — Irving & Yvonne Tucker —

Nelda Villines

We would like to thank all our sponsors and collaborators for making our tracking

programme a success. Jake Wall, from Save the Elephants, is thanked for providing the

tracking links. In particular we would like to thank South African National Parks for all their

logistical support. We are very grateful for the long-standing financial support received

from, the US Fish and Wildlife Services and the Wildlife and Environmental Society of

South Africa.