Transfrontier (Afreco’s partners) has a formal relationship with Save the Elephants (StE), situated in the Timbavati region of the Greater Kruger National Park. We work closely with Dr. Michelle Henley and her team of researchers on a daily basis to assist them with the photographic finger-printing of elephants in the field as well as monitoring the 36 elephants that have been fitted with satellite collars in an effort to monitor their movements and habitat preferences.
Our involvement with StE includes the monitoring of elephant herds in the field and contributing to the international photographic finger-printing data-base. This entails spending many hours in the field with the elephants, tracking the herds and documenting herd dynamics and photographing their external ear patterns and other distinguishing facial features. This data is then captured on the computers back in camp and forwarded to our research facility where the data is sorted and added to the international database.
This information is used to assess population size (Jolly-Stochastic model) as well as social interactions, herd dynamics and a “fear landscape”. It is also designed to demonstrate the effects of human activities on elephant distribution and behaviour.StE works throughout Africa and is headed up by Sir Iain Douglas-Hamilton. They have been appointed as the primary elephant researchers in the Greater Kruger National Park and are engaged with various projects including community out-reach and the monitoring of elephant impacts on the woody vegetation and investigating mechanisms to reduce impacts of elephants on large trees.
We are proud to have been identified by StE as significant role-players in the field of elephant monitoring and feel priviliged to be able to contribute to their work.
If you have a particular interest in Elephant’s please let us know and we will tailor your stay to our elephant research activities – however you will still get involved in the full range of our work.
