The response of an elephant population to conservation area expansion: Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa

Continuous human population expansion pressure on conservation ecosystems restricts wildlife areas, and necessitates active management. In areas of changing land-use and increasing human-animal conflict, responses of wildlife to direct human interventions can inform managers and planners. During August 2004, the boundary fences between Phinda Private Game Reserve and two neighbouring reserves were removed. This study examined behavioural responses of the resident elephants. Older, recently introduced bulls moved into the new area during the first month after fence removal, while younger resident bulls and family groups took between five and eight months. Initially family groups only moved into the new area at night and spent minimal time there, while older bulls spent longer periods of time, regardless of time of day. One year after fence removal, most of the elephants had only expanded their home ranges slightly into the new area. One of the findings of this study is that elephants appear to act cautiously in exploring new areas and responded by moving into the area slowly and over a relatively long time period. This cautious behaviour reduced through time as animals became more familiar with the area. The spatial scale of response of the elephants was relatively small, while the temporal scale of response was relatively large.