Written by Ben Szydlowski (University of Vermont)
The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is one of the most iconic mammal species on the planet. Listed as an endangered species, one-third of the African elephant population resides in Botswana. Botswana, and specifically the Okavango Delta, has provided elephants with a safe haven from war torn countries in the north and a sense of security since Botswana banned hunting in 2013. Botswana is also one of the only countries with a stable and growing elephant population with the current estimate of 140,000 individuals.
Since our semester has started in February, seeing elephants has been a daily occurrence. Their extremely unique physiology and social dynamic has been on display during almost every interaction we’ve had and is prevalent across wildlife concession areas. They typically will eat more grasses and herbs in the wet season and more woody species in the dry season. Elephants only digest 30% of their food and consume 5% of their body weight foraging every single day. This means that across the African landscape, they are the most environmentally impactful species on earth besides man. In many cases, they provide invaluable services to the ecosystem and other animals. By breaking off branches and uprooting trees and shrubs, they produce food options for small herbivores and habitat options for small species like reptiles and amphibians. On any drive within an elephant inhabited area you can see millions of examples of elephant “destruction,” from broken down trees to elephant pathways (small roads created by elephants that lead to different watering holes). In many cases these elephant pathways have actually become our actual roads that we use during transects and to get to different points within the concession area.
When it comes to social dynamics, the elephant is extraordinarily complex. They can live as long as 60 years and reside in a matriarchal society. Female elephants stay together for the entirety of their life (mothers and daughters, sisters, occasionally cousins) while male elephants usually leave the herd around the age of 10. Male elephants (bulls) are usually found alone or in small groups with other males, sometimes following a herd of females looking to mate. The young bulls are typically the most aggressive and therefore the most dangerous when in close encounters with humans. We have seen on several occasions these young bulls try to show their dominance when interacting with our vehicle. They will usually hold their head up and keep their ears fully extended, trying to make themselves look as big as possible, while sometimes trumpeting and grunting to intimidate us. We have also seen many examples of an elephant “bluff charge,” which is when the elephant runs in our direction to try to scare us off. As exhilarating as this has been, we’ve known that they’re just trying to trick us, for if they put their ears back and tucked their trunk under their bodies we would know we were in trouble and try to get out of the situation as quick as possible.
Personally, sharing the land with these creatures and watching them up close has been unreal. Just this morning, our homework was interrupted when 2 bulls walked right through our camp, no more than 70 meters away from our tents, and upon further investigation we found tracks all around our make shift latrine (which we immediately moved to a new location). Living in close proximity with this species has made me realize how important they are not only for their intrinsic value, but also for their value to the environment as a whole. As guests on their land we have to ensure that their habitat and value doesn’t go unnoticed.