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.