Elephants in the Mists

Elephants in the Mist
Despite new sightings, Knysna herd is still a mystery, reports Sheree Bega

These evocative photographs of a rare Knysna forest elephant lumbering through the Diepwalle forest may have been praised as the best yet, but they've also deepened the mystery of how many elephants still roam the area today - and whether the subject is an elderly female, pregnant or a young male.

Hylton Herd, a SANParks official, says his photos, taken on November 26, show a cow most likely between 35 and 50 years old and are likely of the only free-roaming elephant remaining in the Garden Route forests - an elderly female called the Matriarch.

Since 1994, SANParks has maintained she is the last survivor of the once great forest herds wiped out by ivory hunters. But this has been countered by conservationists Gareth Patterson and Lori Eggert, whose research using DNA extracted from dung collected in the forest and its fynbos surrounds has shown the presence of at least five female elephants.

And after viewing Herd's series of photos, Joyce Poole, one of the world's foremost elephant experts and the director of Elephant Voices in Norway, believes the elephant pictures show a pregnant female or a young male - and not an elderly female.

"You can see the swell of what appears to be a breast, which identifies the elephant as female," said Poole, viewing one of the photos from its side. "To me, the breast appears fairly full, which would mean the female's either pregnant or lactating. Since no calf was mentioned, I've assumed she may be pregnant. The thinness of the tusks suggest this isn't an elderly female."

The elephants are difficult to identify, she said, and there were signs that the pictured elephant could be a young male. "There's a possibility the swell I'm seeing is the left front leg being lifted up, and the foot of the left leg appears below the elbow of the right leg. I'm concerned by the heaviness of the body - particularly around its shoulders - and the sloping stomach, which would indicate a male."

But Herd, who compared markings on both the left and right ears, believes it's the same cow often spotted in 1994. "The patterns clearly matched on both ears, and she has been spotted seven times in the past year," he said.

"It doesn't matter what we do - DNA or sightings - they [SANParks] stick to the same old story. It's really tedious and very negative," he said.

SANParks, meanwhile, has embarked on a parallel study of faecal DNA and says it's continuing to verify the population status through observations, sightings, dung and spoor.

Patterson has seen a lot of evidence of musth bull behaviour this year and believes there may be two out there.

"How many generations read Circles of a Forest? These elephants are so well known and well loved, and we've got so much to be grateful for that they're still out there that it's almost criminal to say they're not there," Patterson said.