8 research outputs found
Aerial elephant count in the Shimba Hills ecosystem, Kenya
No full textConducted by helicopter in the Shimba Hills ecosystem in August 1997 a one day wet season count observed 464 elephant, and served to verify the estimated 412 obtained through dung counts. 150 of the animals were in Mwaluganje Forest, giving a density of 6 elephant per sq km in this area. The population in the Forest has probably been increasing since the 1950's. Shimba Hills National Reserve itself is enclosed by an electric fence. A wildlife corridor, namely the Mwaluganje Community Conservation Area, joins the Reserve and the Forest but there is no additional habitat/range for this isolated population which is literally surrounded by human habitation and agricultural land. Vegetation damage by elephants in the Shimba Hills ecosystem has reached critical levels in localized areas, and the area's biodiversity may suffer if management action is not taken soon. The author discusses the growth of the population and the differing opinions of researchers who have undertaken previous surveys. He conclusions are in line with a recent consultant's report (Kamanga, 1997) who suggested 200 animals should be removed, and that a density of 0.5 elephants per sq km is probably good for the Shimba ecosystem. Translocation is suggested as an option to consider followed up by a population control immunocontraception programme
Aerial census of the Gash-Setit elephant population of Eritrea and Ethiopia
No full textDuring a total aerial count in southwestern Eritrea and northern Ethiopia between 31 October to 16 November 1996, 8 elephant were observed. Two animals were near Haicota along the Gaxh River and six were along the Tekezze River on the Ethiopian side of the border. The two groups are considered to be one population although there was a good distance between them. These Gash-Setit region animals are thought to be the only remaining elephants in Eritrea. This is significantly lower than expected,and because the survey was done at the end of the wet season when the animals are dispersed it is recommended a dry season count be done in order to determine the status more clearly. No elephants were seen near the Sheraro settlements which have reported crop damage and it is assumed the two bulls observed near Haicota may be responsible. Two old carcasses were seen
Two successful elephant translocations in Kenya
No full textIn the 7 years since the Kenya Wildlife Service made a decision to translocate rather than kill problem elephant the success rate of the transfer excercises has improved. Two excercises undertaken in 2000 were completed with no elephant deaths: in March 10 elephant (7 from Sweetwaters S and 3 from Lewa Conservancy) were moved from private game sanctuaries in Laikipia to Meru; and, in October 3 elephant were transferred to from Shimba Hills to Tsavo East NP. The 3 bulls moved in October were fitted with radio collars and subsequent monitoring has shown that thus far they have remained within 50 km of their release sit
Resolving human-elephant conflict in Luwero District, Uganda, through elephant translocation
No full textSince the early 1970s migration routes between Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls NPs have been increasingly cut off by settlement and agricultural land, and elephant living in the area have become isolated subpopulations. Capture and translocation were chosen as the management option to deal with four adult elephants (2 bulls, 2 cows) involved in crop raiding, property damage, and competition for water in the Luwero area. The animals were anaesthised darted from a helicopter, and were loaded onto trucks and transported Murchison Falls NP. Article describes procedures used in locating, anaesthetizing, loading, transporting , and safely releasing the animals. One of which was radio collared while the other three were paint marked for further monitoring. The work was undertaking by the Kenya Wildlife Service Translocation Team in conjunction with staff for the Uganda Wildlife Authorit
Recent advances in coastal ecology: studies from Kenya
No full text
This collective volume presenting recent environmental research on the Kenya coast contains 27 contributions differing widely in scope. Subjects range from coral reef restoration to butterfly breeding, from river sediments to Kaya forests, and from marine fisheries to elephant management. Following the introduction by Jan Hoorweg and Nyawira Muthiga, the papers are presented in six sections, viz. Coral reefs, intertidal and littoral communities (contributions by Priscillah N. Boera, T.R. McClanahan, S. Manohar, R.M. Mdodo, C.M. Muthama, N. Muthiga, G.A. Mwayuli, D. Obura, J.B. Okeyo-Owuor, M.P. Tole, J.N. Uku, B.C.C. Wangila); Sediments, erosion and pollution (contributions by J.O.Z. Abuodha, P.D. Jungerius, Samuel Maende, T.M. Munyao, Muendo Muthini, Marifa Ali Mwakumanya, Dismas Otieno, M.wakiop. Tole); Marine fisheries (contributions by Bernerd Fulanda, Jan Hoorweg, Edward N. Kimani, Anthony King, T.R. McClanahan, Delphine Malleret-King, S. Mangi, Joseph G. Tunje); Mangroves and terrestrial forests (contributions by Ian Gordon, Francis Karanja Kamau, Koen Maes, A.M. Makee, M.T.E. Mbuvi, K.A. Mwendwa, Mwakiop. Tole); Biodiversity (contributions by T.M. Dzeha, A.N. Githitho, S.M. Halevy, Randal Jeske, Moses Litoroh, W.R.Q. Luke, Z.N. Otieno-Ayayo, W.A. Overholt); Community participation (contributions by Washington O. Ayiemba, H. Becha, I. Gordon, Ted Kombo, M.T.E. Mbuvi, J.M. Maweu, K.A. Mwendwa, Joseph Rasowo). [ASC Leiden abstract]ASC – Publicaties niet-programma gebonde
Translocation of elephants: the Kenyan experience
No full textReviews the initial large scale translocation programme in which 26 elephant from Mwea National Park in central Kenya, an area completely surrounded by agricultural land, were to be moved to Tsavo East National Park in the southeastern portion of the country. Sixteen elephant were successfully translocated in five operations between September 1995 and June 1996. During the third operation 5 other animals died, 3 in recumbent state after being darted and 2, which were revived after darting, two days later. Death was related to a change in diet was caused a physiological condition brought on by an abnormally high potassium level in the body leading to heart failure. Details of the programme which removed a total of 21 elephants from the Mwea population are discuss
High-resolution stable isotope profiles of modern elephant (Loxodonta africana) tusk dentin and tail hair from Kenya: Implications for identifying seasonal variability in climate, ecology, and diet in ancient proboscideans
No full textStable isotope ratios in tissues of large mammalian herbivores record diet and climate information integrated over large spatial areas and can be used to study modern and fossil ecosystems. Sound interpretation of data requires that tissue growth rates be determined accurately and that ecological and behavioral variables that influence stable isotope ratios of tissues be measured and related to experienced environmental conditions assessed through field observations, remote sensing data, and meteorological records. If well-understood in modern herbivores, stable isotopes from closely-related extinct taxa have tremendous potential for resolving paleodiet, paleoenvironment, and paleoclimate of terrestrial ecosystems. We present multiyear, high-resolution (i.e., weekly) stable isotope records from bioapatite in tusk dentin (δ13Cdentin and δ18Odentin) and tail hair (δ13Chair and δ15Nhair) of an African elephant (Loxodonta africana) from Kenya that was fitted with a GPS collar intermittently over a five year period and observed for nearly a decade. GPS and observational data provide behavioral, life history, and location information. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), precipitation, and isotopic data from plants and water provide further constraints for interpreting isotope profiles. We determine tusk and hair growth rates using a combination of histological and geochemical approaches, including bomb-curve radiocarbon, that confirm approximately weekly resolution in the stable isotope profiles. Tusk dentin isotope profiles spanning the periods 1982 to 1987 and 2000 to 2006 record weekly variability in δ13Cdentin, where increases of up to 4.5‰ from baseline values due to diet switches from predominantly C3 browsing to mixed C3 browsing and C4 grazing occur during the twice-yearly (biannual) rainy seasons. The δ13Chair values show a similar trend. The δ13C profiles served as a proxy for seasonal changes in rainfall, vegetation, and diet. The δ18O of tusk bioapatite varied approximately biannually up to 5‰, likely reflecting increases in the proportion of plant water ingested during the wet season. Using a least squares inverse filter, we show that NDVI can be used to predict δ13C of dentin and vice versa, offering the possibility to reconstruct seasonal changes in vegetation and rainfall in the geologic past. Our results demonstrate that high-resolution tusk isotope profiles serve as a proxy for seasonality of diet and precipitation, and thus can be used to reconstruct aspects of elephant life history, vegetation, and climate at unprecedented resolution from modern and fossil proboscidean samples.We thank the Office of the President of the Republic of Kenya, the Kenya Wildlife Service, and the Samburu and Buffalo Springs County Councils for permission to conduct this research. We thank David Daballen, Daniel Lentipo, and Chris Leadismo at Save The Elephants for sample collection; Dan Davis, Blake Hethmon, and Jared Singer for assistance with sample preparation and analyses; and Adam Rountrey for furnishing a copy of the ImageJ plug-in (IncMeas v1.2) used to measure growth increments. We thank Dr. Jessica Metcalfe and two anonymous reviewers for comments that improved this manuscript. This project was supported by National Science Foundation grant EAR-0819611 awarded to Thure Cerling, by a University of Utah Graduate Research Fellowship (KTU), and the Vetlesen Foundation (KTU). Stable isotope analyses were done at the SIRFER facility at the University of Utah. This work was carried out under CITES permits US831854/9, 02US053837/9, and 07US159997/9. This is Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory contribution #8435
