Protecting Elephants

Orphan elephants are rescued from as young as a few months old and generally reach their release age anywhere from 10-15 years. The time spent in the care of the elephant nursery equates to less than 25% of their average life expectancy, but it is when they are most vulnerable. After their release, it is vital that the sanctuary area is secure and provides a safe environment in which these animals can survive, thrive, and integrate with wild herds – which is key to their long-term survival.

Huge efforts continue to be made to secure the release area in the Kafue National Park (KNP) and surrounding game management areas (GMA’s) for the elephants. Covering an area of 22,400km², KNP is the largest national park in Zambia. The park and surrounding GMA’s form part of the Greater Kafue Ecosystem and cover an area of over 66,000km². This area continues to be protected by our partners through anti-poaching patrols, law enforcement, and 24/7 monitoring of herds via GPS collars. In addition, long-term conservation education and increased awareness of conservation issues within communities is vital to help mitigate human-wildlife conflict.

We’re thrilled to share we’ve supported the release of 20 elephants over the past 14 years. We have also recently witnessed a huge step forward in release progression at the Kafue Release Facility. Orphans Maramba (age 13) and Mphamvu (age 10), who are at an age and stage where we would expect them to leave, recently did so with another five orphans in tow, including Muli and Muchi (both 8 years old), and three female elephants, Kasewe, Mkaliva, and Lani (5-7 years old). The seven elephants demonstrate a herd composition that is consistent with existing social bonds and herd dynamics. The group have now been away from the release facility for a few weeks and continue to thrive together in the wild, proving the vital importance of our work with our frontline conservation partners.

Rachael Murton, Wildlife Rescue Director, shared her thoughts on this surprising departure.

“This is the first time we have seen a sub-group of the orphan's leave like this! We have become used to the older elephants leaving one by one, spending some time away from the Release Facility and then returning as they build confidence. Given the mix of ages in the group, it would be unlikely for them all to remain in the wild indefinitely. However, we are learning every step of the way with orphaned elephant reintegration, and it's only really now (after 14 years), that we are starting to see these big steps forward towards release as the elephants mature. We know that to this point, we have given them the best chances towards being wild again and we are excited to see their progress, back where they belong.”

Read more on this story on our blog: https://davidshepherd.org/news/elephants-go-wild/

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