Earthwatch Data Leads to Elephant Relocation
Last July, 56 elephants were transported from Sweetwaters Black Rhino Reserve in Kenya to Meru National Park, the largest elephant movement in one operation in East Africa. This colossal undertaking, including the transport of bull elephants weighing over 5 tons, was intended to check environmental degradation and conflicts with humans neighboring the reserve. The move followed the analysis of data collected by Earthwatch volunteers working at Sweetwaters, the site of the Kenya's Black Rhinos project.
"Earthwatch data and the model predictions were crucial in convincing reserve managers, the Kenya Wildlife Service, and other funding bodies that the move was necessary," said Dr. Alan Birkett (Manchester Metropolitan University), leader of Kenya's Black Rhinos. "Without this data there would have been endless debate about whether or not the elephant damage was significant."
Elephants have inhabited Sweetwaters since the 90-square-kilometer reserve was established in 1989, but in recent years the population has grown to about 110 animals, a very high density. Earthwatch volunteers collected tree growth and damage data for the first time in 1999, and Birkett used a mathematical model to show that tree loss from elephant foraging was 2 percent per year. The model predicted tree loss would grow to 5 percent per year in 7 years if nothing was done to alleviate the problem. Additionally, large bull elephants were breaking out of the reserve and raiding local villagers' gardens.
The elephant relocation was carried out by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) with assistance from the Kenya Army, at an estimated cost of 11 million Kenyan Shillings. The transport of as many as seven elephants a day was made more difficult by the fact that matriarchal groups could not be split during the move. Individual bulls or matriarchal groups were identified in the bush from spotter planes, then a helicopter was used to dart them from the air. Ground crews including veterinarians then went in to monitor the elephants and haul them into large containers, which were then shipped to Meru on special low-loader trucks.
The relocation has been a boon to Meru National Park's elephant population, which stood at 306 before the move. But it also stands as a model for future KWS management practices in response to conflicts with humans and habitat decline, a valuable alternative to traditional culling measures. Earthwatch data on tree growth and damage, based on the measurement of over 1,000 trees, was an important step in bringing Kenyan wildlife management into the next century.
For information on volunteering on Kenya's Black Rhino project, click here
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