Digging In
Category: Elephants | Date: Dec 17 2007 | By: admin
Yesterday afternoon at the bai, the surface of the bai is drying up and the number of holes being opened up by the elephants is increasing by the day. One hole on the southern end of the bai is proving to be the favorite of the biggest bulls. It was comical today when each big bull entering the bai came through the forest into the bai from the same trail from the eastern edge. They all headed directly to this favorite hole and depending on his size would either be rebuffed of take possession of the hole. This scene was replayed over and over until there were six big bulls who had parried for the top position. The most successful bull was a huge male Ibrahim, whom I had last seen in December 2004. He held the hole and was still there when we departed at 5:00 PM. While he held the hole he would periodically chase any males which came too close to him which resulted in a rearrangement of the males waiting in the vicinity of the hole.
Ibrahim
Today the dynamics at the clearing had dramatically changed. The favorite hole which had been attracting the larger bulls had flooded as a result of too much digging close to the small stream which had been flowing nearby. The result was now a big puddle and there were markedly fewer larger males today. The main draw for the biggest bulls is definitely these huge dry holes, once they disappear the bulls no longer find the clearing as attractive. The bai was scattered with family groups consisting of adult females and their young with their numbers reaching 100. The main activity of these females and young was the excavation of lots of small holes as well as grazing on the edge of the clearing in the small meadow.
Forest Clearings or Bais
Category: Uncategorized | Date: Dec 11 2007 | By: admin
Dzanga Bai: Southern End
The Dzanga clearing is often referred to as Dzanga bai, bai being the local Bayaka word for forest clearing. These clearings are numerous in this part of the Congo Basin and where they are protected from poachers and other human activity attract wildlife providing the best “window” in the forest. Bais are usually found along rivers and vary in surface area. The main attraction to wildlife is the availability of mineral salts which lie beneath the surface of these clearings. The minerals are accessed in several ways, one being by excavation, elephants being the most adept at this. They use their feet like shovels kicking away surface soil creating huge holes which expose the mineral layer. The other way elephants access the minerals is by pumping with their trunks through the surface water to the mineral layer. This in the more difficult way of getting minerals and since the biggest males dominate the best mineral holes, females and their offspring as well as younger males are observed vigorously pumping through the water in search of minerals. During the wetter parts of the years when it is impossible to dig big holes in the bai because of the continuous rain, fewer males are observed in the bai. I tend to think for the large males pumping through the surface water is difficult because their long tusks get in the way.
Bongo Male and Female
Elephants are the dominant animals at Dzanga bai but other species of forest mammals are also observed on a regular basis. After elephant the most commonly observed species is the sitatunga, a species of forest antelope which prefers the wetter parts of the forest. The females are reddish in color while the adult males are a chocolate brown. The most spectacular species is the bongo, the largest species of forest antelope. They are observed in groups ranging from six to thirty individuals and are made up of females and their offspring. Males are seen periodically in the groups looking for estrous females. We also observe the two species of forest pigs: giant forest hog and the red river hog. They also are observed in the clearing where they skirt the edges avoiding the elephants. The pig species serve as the main scavengers in the forest and we have observed them feeding on elephant carcasses.
Bais not only serve the nutritional needs of animals but also serve as centers of social activitiy for forest animals. At Dzanga we witness a myriad of social behavior which is otherwise impossible to observe in the forest environment.
Forest Buffalo
The Bulls Have Arrived
Category: Elephants | Date: Dec 08 2007 | By: admin
Habib
The last two days at Dzanga have been overwhelming, the numbers soaring to well over one hundred. The weather although overcast and cloudy was a perfect temperature being cool and bugless. The real dry season is marked by the arrival of the biggest bulls in the Dzanga population and this year it has started earlier than expected. The first arrival was Habib two days ago. I recognized him immediately because of his distinctive ears. He however had broken his left tusk and was in full musth. Musth gave him the lead in the male hierarchy and he positiioned himself in the best mineral hole in the bai. I discovered that the last time I had seen him was in December of 2004 when he was also in musth. The peak of musth in the Dzanga area is the dry season and the bulls I haven’t seen all year make their way to the bai in search of receptive females.
Hilton
The real highlight this week however was the appearance of Hilton, the largest bull in the Dzanga forest elephant population, who was at the bai when I arrived yesterday afternoon. Hilton is one of my favorite individuals and he is only observed at the bai during the longest dry season, which spans the months of December to March. I have been observing Hilton since 1992 when I first identified him. Since then he arrives for a few days during the dry season and looks for females in estrous. Until two years ago he was always observed in musth. The last two years however he has come to the bai but no longer exhibits signs of musth. Yesterday he tried to displace several bulls from the best mineral hole but failed at both attempts and eventually he backed off and spent about an hour standing at the edge of the bai. After this long contemplation he left the bai and headed west. Until two years ago Hilton was the dominant presence in the clearing and the other larger bulls would immediately clear out of his way but he has now lost his dominance.
The dry season is by far the most interesting part of the year and holds most of the surprises because of the high turn over of individuals. There are not only males I haven’t seen for several years but also the new calves born to well known females who come to spend time in the bai. Also because of the small surface there is a vast range of social behavior only scene in settings such as Dzanga.
Clearings also provide one of the most effective protection tools for forest wildlife because it is in these settings where we are able to observe wildlife and do effective monitoring. In the case of Dzanga we are immediately alerted to poachers in the area by observing the behavior of the animals. Elephants in particular are the first animals to leave an area if threatened by poachers and this indicator is what we use to mobilize park guards to reinforce patrols in suspected areas to insure the future of these animals.
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