The radio-collared female and her herd
Rick is currently in Africa to see elephants. Read his previous blog, Botswana: Tracking Elephants.
May 5, 2009 (Tuesday afternoon)
After lunch, we headed back the way we came, checking a side trail off of the firebreak trail for elephants, but still no luck and no sign of the elephants we were looking for. We turned back toward the river, some 60 miles (100 kilometers) away and decided we would meet up with the river at the point where the Chobe National Park starts and then drive in to the park from there.
Once we got closer to the river, but still outside of the national park, we came across small villages. These were mostly a couple of shacks and paddocks for goats and cattle. We did cross paths with two men walking back to their village and had a chance to talk to them. Initially, Dr. Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders (EWB) talked to them in Setswana (sounds like: Set-z-wana), the native language spoken in Botswana. They then started to speak in English, which allowed the rest of us to understand the conversation (though I must admit I love the sound of Setswana and the cadence of the speech patterns).
Mike asked about their cows and goats. He asked if they had seen or heard any lions and if they were afraid that they might be in the area. The two men seemed to feel the lions do not come near their village. And they said, with no reserve, that they shoot lions that get too close. With that in mind, I suppose the lions have learned to stay away, plus food looks to be abundant there in the neighboring national park, at least right now. Then Mike asked about elephants: had they seen any or had they heard any in the last few days? They said that since the rains, there have been no elephants, but before the rains elephants did come through here on the way to the river. We thanked them for their time and for allowing us to take their photos.
We continued north through a small town (I believe it was either Mabele or Muchenje). It was right on the river, and we could see obvious signs that elephants had been through the area. From there we headed east and drove a bit to get to the gate that takes us back in the Chobe National Park again.
The radio-collared female (right) with her calf and a herd-mate
Driving through the park along the dirt trails, I could tell that Mike and Kelly Landen (also with EWB) were disappointed that we never came across the collared elephants. Though Kelly was still trying to locate a signal from the top of the truck, it seemed the two of them were a bit deflated. Then, as we were about an hour away from camp, we saw more elephants at the base of a monstrous baobab tree. As we approached I am not sure who pointed it out with excitement first, Mike or Kelly: the matriarch of the herd was indeed one of the collared elephants we were looking for! We soon discovered that the reason the radio signal was never picked up as we approached was because the collar’s frequency was off by a bit.
We were able to line ourselves up so as they traveled they walked right past us. This allowed Mike to observe the herd and Kelly to photograph the herd for documentation. We were also fortunate enough to get a very good look at the newest baby, which looks to have been born in late December. Once the herd moved on, we did dung sample collecting. This is all sent to a lab to analyze hormones, DNA, stress markers, and, of course, to find out what they have been eating. Kelly explained to us that the goal is to collect samples from the collared elephants and the herd throughout the year to see how things change or stay the same.
After all was said and done, the whole mood of the group changed. We did it! We found one of the collared animals, and we saw that she was well, as was her herd and her new baby. Samples were collected and all of it was documented by Shea Johnson, our Zoo videographer! We celebrated by finding a good spot further down the river to watch an amazing sunset after an amazing day.
To support our elephant conservation work in Africa and learn more, visit the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy.
Rick Schwartz is the San Diego Zoo’s Elephant Odyssey Ambassador.
hooray for you! I knew that you would eventually find the elephants. nothing comes easy does it? but, in the end, it isworth all the hard work and tracking isn’t it?? along the way, you got to see so much! you met some villagers who even spoke english! you got to view a new and beautiful landscape while seeing and listening to other animals and birds. plus, you got your dung samples and got to see the newest baby in the herd! your tracking collar was still in place too! not only that, but the day ended not only with your success, but a beautiful sunset!!! what more can you ask for? thanks for keeping us up to date.
“you met some villagers who even spoke english!”
And you got to meet a foreign researcher who speaks Setswana! Frankly, I’m even more impressed by that – it shows how Dr. Chase is gifted in language learning as well as science and respects the community as part of his conservation efforts.
Which collared elephant did you see? Was she Rainbow Spirit, or did The Shy One become a matriarch too?
I worked with Asians & Africans (as well as 23 giraffes, Siberians, sumatrans, snow leopards & Aasian lions of years at a good zoo here in colorado. Is there any way I can participate with your group(s)?
thx; chet
Moderator’s note: You’ll have to contact Elephants Without Borders directly.