 |
| Author | Post |
|---|
sydneyst
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Mar 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | Seattle, USA |
| Posts: | 678 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 4th, 2009 05:42 pm |
|
2007 Pictures of Elephants from Google Earth Satellites
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2007/07/african-elephants-spotted-on-google.html
Notice the tight formation of the herd and the way they protect their calves.
Last edited on Sat Jul 4th, 2009 05:43 pm by sydneyst
|
sydneyst
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Mar 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | Seattle, USA |
| Posts: | 678 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 16th, 2009 11:55 pm |
|
Grace's Attempt to Save Her Stricken Baby
video: see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg4aaXgWn2g&feature=related
|
sydneyst
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Mar 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | Seattle, USA |
| Posts: | 678 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 16th, 2009 06:33 pm |
|
Researchers Confirm that Bees Deter Elephants
--Promises Reduction in Farmer-Elephant Conflict
excerpts from BBC
A pilot study in Kenya by two Oxford zoologists has shown that fences incorporating bee hives will reduce raids by maurading elephants. The work is the culmination of previous research which showed elephants are naturally scared of African honey bees.
In Kenya, elephants are not confined to national parks or reserves. As they roam, they often come across increasing numbers of farms created by pastoralists who are being encouraged to settle down and grow crops. The elephants break into the farms and raid them for food such as ripe tomatoes, potatoes and maize. 
A simple fence made from wood, wire and beehives can deter elephants from raiding farmers' crops.
A much larger trial is now under way in the hope the fences will provide an elegant solution to years of conflict between elephants and farmers.
In Kenya, elephants are not confined to national parks or reserves. As they roam, they often come across increasing numbers of farms created by pastoralists who are being encouraged to settle down and grow crops. The elephants break into the farms and raid them for food such as ripe tomatoes, potatoes and maize.
In turn, farmers often retaliate by shooting, spearing or poisoning elephants to protect their livelihoods and families.
{Sydney: The same problem occurs in Asia.}
Use of bee hives as deterrence is the idea of Oxford zoologist Fritz Vollrath. His colleague Lucy King followed this idea up by showing that elephants would quickly move on even if they heard the sound of a buzzing hive.
Buzzed off
Now a team led by King, including Vollrath, has taken the idea to its logical conclusion - the creation of a fence containing beehives.
In the Ex-Erok community in the southern region of Laikipia, Kenya, the team recruited farmers whose crops were regularly raided by elephants.
Around the side of one farm, nine traditional log beehives were hung under small thatched roofs, with each being linked by wire. In all, the fence continued for 90m with each hive 10m apart. The hives were left empty.
Another similar-sized control farm nearby was left unfenced.
Bull elephants close in on a human settlement.
The farmers than recorded how many elephants raided their crops and how often.
"The fence deterred a significant portion of elephants," King told Earth News, speaking from her tent in the Kenyan bush.
In all, elephants raided the protected farm on seven occasions, compared to 13 raids on the unfenced farm. Just 38 individual elephants reached the protected fields, compared to 95 feeding in those not protected, the team reports in the African Journal of Ecology.
"Even with empty hives, the beehive fence is a swinging, moving complex shape which provides a visual barrier to approaching elephants. But from our other work in Kenya we have learnt that elephants avoid feeding on trees with beehives in and they run away from bee sounds," says King.
"So we expect elephants recognise the shape and smell of beehives and will avoid them in case they disturb the bees. Occupied hives will have even more success in deterring elephants and also provide honey for the villagers."
Indeed, the pilot was so successful that the farmers involved ended up extending the fence at their own cost and initiative.
Last edited on Tue Jun 16th, 2009 06:41 pm by sydneyst
|
sydneyst
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Mar 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | Seattle, USA |
| Posts: | 678 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 14th, 2009 06:11 pm |
|
Update from Cynthia Moss on Echo's Family:
Grief, Fragmentation, Coping
Sat, 2009-06-13 15:08 by cmoss
It is six weeks since Echo died. The family is still split into sub-units but there seems to be a pattern emerging.
Ella’s section of the family has not been seen. In fact, the records show that she left the area before Echo died. This kind of move is not unusual for Ella, but to stay away for this long is unexpected. Ella, who is Echo’s sister and is the oldest female remaining at 44 years old, forms a small sub-group of nine animals including her two daughters Emma and Elettra and their calves.
Edwina, who is Echo’s granddaughter, along with her four daughters have broken off and are spending each day in Ol Tukai Orok near the research camp. More often than not over the last couple of years Edwina was separated from Echo’s part of the family, so this split is not at all unexpected. One aspect of it is unusual. Her oldest daughter, Europa, appears to be strongly drawn to the larger part of the family. She is often found with the Eudora and Eliot section but not quite of it. Rather she is always on the periphery, which is a sad sight. The pull to the social stimulation of the much bigger group must be very strong to make her leave her mother.
Eleanor, Edwina’s younger sister, seems to have no strong bonds with anyone. She and her three calves usually move on their own or they join up with part of one of the other groups. Her oldest calf, Elmo, is sometimes with his mother but is often with the larger section of the family. At 10 years old he is starting his transition to independence.
Eudora, who is Echo’s niece and at 37 years is the next oldest female after Ella, appears to be taking over the leadership of the main body of the family. For awhile after Echo died her small subgroup of six individuals, including her adult daughter Elspeth, moved on its own. Then she joined up with Eliot’s part of the family. Until that time Eliot had been leading most of the remaining close relatives of Echo, that is, her daughters and granddaughters and their calves.
About two weeks after Echo died Eudora and Eliot left the area completely and went out to the western part of the Park. This move was major for the EBs who are serious homebodies. They stayed out there for about three weeks and returned to the centre of their range four days ago. Watching them carefully over the last few days, it seems that Eudora is taking up the leadership role.
Enid and her three calves form the fifth sub-group. The oldest living daughter of Echo, Enid is the one most disturbed by her death. She was very strongly bonded to Echo, rarely found more than a few metres from her. When Eudora and Eliot left Enid stayed behind and slept each night close to Echo’s carcass. Her two youngest calves stayed close to her, but her oldest calf Ejac was with her on some days but mostly apart. At 12 years old he is definitely going independent.
Poor Enid, during the period the others were away she showed signs of being very distraught. She had temporal gland secretion and called frequently. Her behaviour was probably both a response to losing Echo and to her family leaving. Now that the others are back she follows along behind them but keeps her distance. She doesn’t seem as distraught, but still seems disturbed and very subdued.
Echo was a wise and experienced matriarch. She taught her family well and with that knowledge she imparted they will carry on without her.
Breakdown of the EB Sub-Groups:
Ella = 9
Edwina = 5
Eleanor = 4
Eudora/Eliot = 17
Enid = 4
see:
http://www.elephanttrust.org
Last edited on Sun Jun 14th, 2009 06:15 pm by sydneyst
|
sydneyst
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Mar 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | Seattle, USA |
| Posts: | 678 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 14th, 2009 06:02 am |
|
More on Echo's Family from Amboseli Elephant Trust
http://www.elephanttrust.org/node/553/image_gallery
report by Cynthia Moss
 Ella&99.9-02
Sun, 2009-05-10 09:49
It is one week since Echo died. All of us who have spent so much time with her over the years are now here: Soila, Norah, Katito, Robert, Martyn Colbeck and I. Martyn flew out from the UK last Sunday and got down to Amboseli on Monday morning. By then Echo had died and her body had been moved to a quiet place that was one of her favorites for resting with the family. I arrived from the US on Tuesday night and flew down to Amboseli on Thursday morning.
We have been keeping a close watch on the rest of the family, which numbers 39--a very large elephant family by any standards. We're in a drought and families break down into smaller groups when food is scarce and patchy anyway, but since her death, Echo's family has broken up into five sub-groups. Echo's sister Ella, the next oldest adult female at 44, has gone off with her daughters and calves. She was always the most independent and we're not even sure she knows that Echo is gone.
She may have decided to feed in another area before Echo died. The others are staying close by. Echo's oldest daughter Enid, who virtually never left her side, seems the most distraught. Alone with just two of her calves, she shows agitated behavior, has temporal gland secretion and is calling frequently. Echo's other daughters, granddaughters, grandsons and great grandchildren are in a group of 20 led by Eliot, her 24-year-old daughter. We think that Enid will eventually join them and take the lead.
In a fourth group is Eudora, who is 37 years old and is Echo's niece. She leads a subgroup of six including her adult daughter Elspeth and four calves. Enid, Eliot and Eudora's groups are all in the same area but not together. The fifth group is led by Edwina, one of Echo's granddaughers, who has often separated from the rest of the family with her four calves. She's in Ol Tukai Orok near our camp. The others are following Echo's routine of spending the day in the swamp and the night inside the old fence. They have not gone directly to the carcass but lift their trunks and smell it as they walk by. I would give anything to know what they are thinking.
Last edited on Sun Jun 14th, 2009 06:10 am by sydneyst
|
sydneyst
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Mar 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | Seattle, USA |
| Posts: | 678 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed May 6th, 2009 09:03 pm |
|
More from Amboseli on Echo:
excerpts:
It is very sad that Echo, the Matriarch of our primary study group in Kenya, has died. She has been the leader of her family for over 36 years and through all of the research, books and media attention that has focused on her, she has become an icon for elephants.
(Echo in 2007 with new baby member of her family. Echo was the matriarch of her family and loved by young and old alike. )
Our thoughts are with Echo’s family - as this will be a disturbing time for them - with Cynthia Moss, Soila, Norah, Katito and Robert in Amboseli, who have kept up with Echo’s daily life for so many years. All of us who knew Echo have been touched by her gentleness and wisdom, and many of us have sought solace in her presence during difficult times.
Echo has been mentioned in a few posts here on WildlifeDirect. Whenever we think of the Amboseli elephants, we think of Echo. During our field visit in December 2007 - January 2008 we did worry about Echo - since she looked thin and weak - and we are convinced that the ongoing drought has contributed to her demise. We feel privileged having been able to spend so much time with this gentle, caring, and wise elephant, who has been such an excellent leader for the EB family for decades
Last edited on Wed May 6th, 2009 09:13 pm by sydneyst
|
sydneyst
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Mar 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | Seattle, USA |
| Posts: | 678 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed May 6th, 2009 08:59 pm |
|
Echo Passes Away: Elephant Lovers Mourn:
Cynthia Moss Writes About Echo
Amboseli Trust for Elephants
Sunday, May 4, 2009
By Cynthia Moss
I have some very sad news to relay. Echo died today (Sun, 3. May 2009) at 2:42pm in Amboseli. She collapsed yesterday morning and was unable to get up. ATE staff Katito and Robert stayed with her the whole time. We believe she died from a combination of old age and the long three-year drought Amboseli has been experiencing. Echo was probably the best known wild elephant in the world because she featured in three BBC documentaries about her and her family: Echo of the Elephants; Echo of the Elephants, the Next Generation; and Echo of the Elephants, the Final Chapter? as well as the book Echo of the Elephants. In addition she was in many other films, most recently the film about Martyn Colbeck's work called An Eye for An Elephant, and photographs of her have been seen around the world.
I arrived in the US a few days ago to start a fund-raising tour so I was not there for Echo's passing. I'm cancelling my trip and flying back to Kenya tomorrow. I need to be with my staff who are devastated and also to start observing the family to see how they will react to the loss of their matriarch. Echo was the leader of her family for at least 36 years. When we first recorded her in 1973 her family numbered seven. At her death it numbered 40. For all of them, except for her sister Ella, Echo was the only leader they have ever known. The loss will be very disturbing and disrupting for them. For us on the Amboseli Elephant Research Project she has been an invaluable research subject providing us with insights into elephant behavior, leadership, communication, social relations and intelligence. But she was more than that. She was a daily presence, almost a companion to all of us. She gave us joy and filled us with wonder.
Last edited on Wed May 6th, 2009 09:11 pm by sydneyst
|
sydneyst
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Mar 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | Seattle, USA |
| Posts: | 678 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 18th, 2009 01:56 pm |
|
Dramatic Footage: Elephants Defending Against Human Intruders
Camera crew bothers swimming elephants. Elephants get defensive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCf950nbCVY&feature=related
Last edited on Wed Mar 18th, 2009 01:57 pm by sydneyst
|
sydneyst
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Mar 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | Seattle, USA |
| Posts: | 678 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 18th, 2009 01:47 pm |
|
Footage of African Herd Defending Against Wild Dogs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaXazDHQ3Eg&feature=related
BBC photo of female herd in Africa
Last edited on Wed Mar 18th, 2009 01:50 pm by sydneyst
|
sydneyst
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Mar 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | Seattle, USA |
| Posts: | 678 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 8th, 2008 07:04 am |
|
See more on the elephant contraception in the latest edition of The New Bear Times.
http://www.sydneysthumb.com/newbeartimes.html
|
sydneyst
Administrator
| Joined: | Mon Mar 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | Seattle, USA |
| Posts: | 678 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 28th, 2008 03:23 pm |
|
Promising Contraception Used for Elephant Birth Control in South Africa
Wildlife vets at the Makalali Reserve in S. Africa have pioneered a promising approach to elephant population-control that seems effective without major side-effects on elephants. It involves a vaccination that can be administered by helicopter to fertile elephant cows. This method is reversible and doesn't seem to affect the vaccinated cows, except for the discomfort and disruption of being darted and sedated.
Managers try to make sure that a herd is able to replace itself and that enough elephant babies, adults and juveniles are present in each herd so that the socialization process in each herd is preserved. Each herd possesses complex stucture. Adult elephants are relied upon to educate and pass on behavioral information to younger elephants.
Last year Sydney's Thumb presented a disturbing report on the breakdown of elephant societies around the globe. A major problem has been shrinking habitat and increasing conflict in lands now farmed or harvested for hardwoods by humans. http://www.sydneysthumb.com/newbeartimes1stedfeature.html
The main counter-argument to contraception seems to be its cost and the fact that contraception doesn't immediately reduce population size. See the following informative video by National Geographic:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/news/animals-news/elephant-contraception-wcvin.html
Last edited on Tue Jul 8th, 2008 07:03 am by sydneyst
|
Current time is 09:39 pm | Page:   1 2 3 |
|
|
|
|
