Dzanga Forest Elephants

Category: Elephants | Date: Jan 28 2008 | By: admin

Eldridge entered the clearing alone yesterday afternoon with Scar Side absent from the clearing. The guard is over and Eldridge came in search of potential mating partners. Despite a high number of elephants approaching 170 yesterday Eldridge failed to find any other females in estrous. His presence dominated the bai and he was easily able to maneuver his way into the two favorite mineral holes. On several occasions there was a chorus from elephants as he approached, this is in response to his highly sexual state. Musth males can be heard to vocalize very low powerful calls and they have a particular odor which is clearly recognizable even in the forest where they have passed. The can also be highly aggressive during their period of musth with other elephants keeping a careful distance from them.

With the advancing dry season the night time temperatures have dipped to below 20 degrees Celsius making for cool nights, the coldest part of the year in the lowland tropical forest. However the nocturnal elephant activity has increased. Not only do we hear elephants all night long around the camp but there has also been several night time incursions into camp. Last week an elephant destroyed one of the two outhouses in camp which we are in the process of repairing. This time instead of a wooden planks the base will be made of cement. However a few days ago an elephant came into camp at around 11:00 PM and tried to make off with one of the sacks of cement which had been stored under one of the elevated houses. As he picked it up the paper sack ripped spilling the cement on the ground as one of the trackers chased him off. In the waning moonlight it was thought that the culprit was a large bull. We then swept up the remains of the cement and closed it up in one of the houses. In the morning we looked for the sack but after tracking the elephant for several hundred meters we concluded that the bull had eaten the sack. This type of activity soars in the dry season when elephants are food stressed and there being little fruit they resort to eating basically anything they find interesting. There is more destruction of trees and we observe far more in camp than during the wetter parts of the year.

Two days ago at dusk after I return to camp I showered and as I exited the shower I heard an elephant nearby. I found a group of three just behind the kitchen and was able to get a look at the adult females ears. She was easy to identify since I already knew her and had seen her at the clearing a few weeks ago. She showed no signs of alarm despite my proximity and being with her two calves, standing quietly in the cover of some vegetation at the edge of camp. Her name is Maddy and she came to camp last month at the same time of day and from the same point of entry. A half hour after our encounter she returned in the dark to aspirate the powdery layer of soil which surrounds the kitchen. I could clearly hear her as she vacuumed the soil with her trunk which resembles heavy breathing, a very common sound for the dry season.

Maddy

3 responses so far

Category: Elephants | Date: Jan 28 2008 | By: admin

Two days we arrived at the bai to see that one of our favorite males, Hilton, was present. He is interesting because he is only observed during the dry season and for many years would arrive in musth. This year however this is not the case and he is showing no sign of musth and has lost his dominance position in the bai. He was in possession of the favorite hole for most of the afternoon until Eldridge arrived courting a female. Eldridge drove Hilton out of the hole and Hilton scurried out of the bai not returning for the remainder of the afternoon.

Hilton and Eldridge Faceoff

The dry season is the height of the mating season and for two days we have been observing Eldridge guarding a female we have known for a number of years, Scar Side. Eldridge is watching over Scar Side and her calf, closely warding off any potential competition. He stays very close to her and follows her where ever she goes. During the observations they have been spending most of their time in the northern section of the clearing where the favorite mineral hole is located. Eldridge rather than monopolizing the hole for himself allows Scarside and her juvenile access while he stands guard at the edge of the hole with other elephants keep a safe distance from the courting couple. Occasionally Eldridge will chase off any elephants who venture too close and Scar Side also joins in discouraging any competition for the hole. At one point on the first day of observing the couple they were all able to occupy the hole together.

Eldridge guarding Scar Side

Later in the afternoon another bull in musth arrived but was unable to wrest Scar Side from Eldridge. The couple left the bai for the forest and the new musth male circulated in the bai in search of potential mates. None were to be found, males not being presented with many mating opportunities despite their searching far and wide. They also are competing with other bulls so bull life is not an easy task.

The numbers of elephants is surpassing any other previous year of our observations, yesterday I identified over 140 individuals and I estimate the maximum number to be more than 160 for the afternoon. The elephant numbers maximize during the night as more elephants enter the clearing from the forest. Because of poaching pressure many elephants will only come into clearings at night seeking security from poachers vision. However Dzanga clearing is the only clearing in the central African region where elephants come in such abundant numbers during the day. I like to think of this small patch in the middle of the forest as a spiritual center for forest elephants, a place where they are undisturbed and where we have the privilege of watching them in their natural state.

4 responses so far

Category: Elephants | Date: Jan 23 2008 | By: admin

With the weather at its absolute driest the number of elephants is increasing in the clearing and now we are seeing an average of more than 130 individuals per day. These numbers are unprecedented and I believe the main influence on the elevated numbers at Dzanga may be a result of the increase in commercial logging to the east in the Republic of Congo. Until a few years ago there was no logging in that area and elephants and other wildlife were unperturbed. Now there is logging which has led to the creation of roads and an influx of people which is putting poaching pressure on the wildlife. With this increased pressure the elephants are quick to know where they are safe and out of harm’s way.

The bulls have established two favorite holes which means there is a lot of jockeying for the best spots. When a new bull enters it is interesting how he will fit into the male constellation, will he displace someone in the hole or stand and wait patiently by the edge ?I call this situation “bull” school because there is a lot of learning taking place by the younger bulls who stand and wait. Curiously enough there are a few sub-adult females who try to get into the holes with the bulls for minerals. The bulls at times are baffled by this behavior and gently nudge the challengers to encourage their departure. Despite their size the bulls are gentle and rarely are truly aggressive towards the other elephants in the vicinity of the hole. They will chase others away and then resume their position in the hole.

Besides the competition over mineral sites, the elephants also are enjoying mud bathing at several sites along the clearing edges. This results in mostly yellow elephant who coat themselves entirely in mud. Less frequently there are red elephants who appear coming from an area in the south where there is a pool of red mud.

Two days ago I observed an interesting sight in front of the observation platform. An adult female, Leonarda, who only comes to the bai once every few years, greeted with a young adult male, Hiram. After they vocalized they kept close to each other, Hiram in a small hole digging for minerals and Leonarda stood next to him. Then Leonarda’s three daughters of various ages approached Hiram and they trunked him to which he did not protest. The rest of the afternoon this group kept close company leading me to believe that Hiram is related to this group. It is rare to see adult males vocalize in response to family groups and in most cases it is because of a family relationship. We see this periodically in groups where we have already determined the family relationships.

5 responses so far

Category: Elephants | Date: Jan 13 2008 | By: admin

Left Loop

With the continuing dry season more holes have opened up in the clearing and for a few days more and more males have returned to Dzanga. A freak rain filled the favorite holes and this resulted in fewer males in the daylight hours. Now with a two week dry period new holes have gradually opened up.

Yesterday the northern end of the clearing contained at least six big bulls waiting around the now favorite hole. The dominant bull, Left Loop, spent most of the afternoon in this hole. During the middle of the afternoon he left the hole and came in our direction where he stood in front of the observation platform and waited. I almost had the feeling that he knew we were there. This went on for about thirty minutes before he left to return to the hole. This is a bull which we first identified in 1990 and who comes in regularly. He is not a seasonal bull, but one who comes in all times of the year. The other bulls backed off as soon as they were aware of his return. How they know a bigger bull and more dominant bull is coming in their direction is a mystery, but perhaps the approach is sensed by the vibrations set off by his foot falls.

Later in the afternoon another big bull entered the bai from the east. Eldridge, whom we had seen two days ago, was in musth. Today he trotted in and overtook the best hole in the southern sector which had been used by a group of younger bulls. Two days ago he competed with a smaller male in musth for what we thought was an estrous female and ended up chasing the smaller male away but in the end the courtship between the female and Eldridge didn’t work. With his entry was the unmistakable smell of musth which permeated the bai and elephants in his vicinity excitedly vocalized. He planted himself in the southern hole driving off the other males.

Eldridge

One response so far

Category: Elephants | Date: Jan 08 2008 | By: admin

Today news that our local internet connection has been disconnected because of a billing issue. This is a place where there are always difficulties regarding technology and a lot of our time goes into trying to keep it all working. I’ll continue to write and when I have the opportunity the blogs will get posted.

The weather which is normally the driest part of the year has been chaotic for the last couple of days. Today there is thunder on both side of camp threatening rain. In seventeen years we have never seen weather like this, perhaps an effect of global warming. The harmattan is also here, this being the part of the dry season cycle when the dust from the Sahara is blown south rendering the atmosphere hazy and thick. The harmattan combined with bush fires set by humans cause a pollution much like smog. Flying in light aircraft during this part of the year is hypnotic since there are no visible landmarks giving one the sensation of standing still.

Yesterday besides the usual elephant observations, we were treated to a super spectacle. For those of you who have had the privilege of visiting this part of the world and are familiar with the forest antelope, the bongo, you will know that it is a rare treat to see this largest species of forest antelope. About the size of and large white tailed deer, both the males and females have long spiral horns. Their pelage is a bright auburn and their flanks being vertically striped in white. They travel in groups of adult females with their offspring and enter the clearing in a single file as they exit the forest. Yesterday they started to enter and a group of 12 were the first to appear. A couple of minutes later a large male entered. He was obviously looking for potential mates in the group. Up until this moment what I found odd was that there were no young calves seen. Then another group appeared, this time it was one adult female accompanied by 10 young calves. The adult was the designated calf-sitter. There was then a total of 30 bongo, many more than we usually observe. They spent about 30 minutes in the clearing and then returned to the forest. Their vibrant color combined with the long sunlight rays of the late afternoon was spectacular for lack of a better word.

The bai surface is still wet after an unseasonable rain storm on January 2nd. The numbers of elephant reached 85 yesterday and a few large males showed up in the late afternoon including Eldridge who was in rut and made a full turn in the clearing looking for potential mates. One of my favorite juvenile males, Basil, was also in the clearing for a second day. Basil who is now about 10 years old has been sighted in Congo by a Congolese colleague who is also monitoring clearings in the Republic of Congo. He makes this trip regularly and also reunites with his mother whom I have known for about 16 years. Basil left his group at the age of five which is about the age at which forest elephant males leave their maternal groups.

4 responses so far

Category: Elephants | Date: Jan 08 2008 | By: admin

Today news that our local internet connection has been disconnected because of a billing issue. This is a place where there are always difficulties regarding technology and a lot of our time goes into trying to keep it all working. I’ll continue to write and when I have the opportunity the blogs will get posted.

The weather which is normally the driest part of the year has been chaotic for the last couple of days. Today there is thunder on both side of camp threatening rain. In seventeen years we have never seen weather like this, perhaps an effect of global warming. The harmattan is also here, this being the part of the dry season cycle when the dust from the Sahara is blown south rendering the atmosphere hazy and thick. The harmattan combined with bush fires set by humans cause a pollution much like smog. Flying in light aircraft during this part of the year is hypnotic since there are no visible landmarks giving one the sensation of standing still.

Yesterday besides the usual elephant observations, we were treated to a super spectacle. For those of you who have had the privilege of visiting this part of the world and are familiar with the forest antelope, the bongo, you will know that it is a rare treat to see this largest species of forest antelope. About the size of and large white tailed deer, both the males and females have long spiral horns. Their pelage is a bright auburn and their flanks being vertically striped in white. They travel in groups of adult females with their offspring and enter the clearing in a single file as they exit the forest. Yesterday they started to enter and a group of 12 were the first to appear. A couple of minutes later a large male entered. He was obviously looking for potential mates in the group. Up until this moment what I found odd was that there were no young calves seen. Then another group appeared, this time it was one adult female accompanied by 10 young calves. The adult was the designated calf-sitter. There was then a total of 30 bongo, many more than we usually observe. They spent about 30 minutes in the clearing and then returned to the forest. Their vibrant color combined with the long sunlight rays of the late afternoon was spectacular for lack of a better word.

The bai surface is still wet after an unseasonable rain storm on January 2nd. The numbers of elephant reached 85 yesterday and a few large males showed up in the late afternoon including Eldridge who was in rut and made a full turn in the clearing looking for potential mates. One of my favorite juvenile males, Basil, was also in the clearing for a second day. Basil who is now about 10 years old has been sighted in Congo by a Congolese colleague who is also monitoring clearings in the Republic of Congo. He makes this trip regularly and also reunites with his mother whom I have known for about 16 years. Basil left his group at the age of five which is about the age at which forest elephant males leave their maternal groups.

2 responses so far

Category: Elephants | Date: Jan 04 2008 | By: admin

Sorry for the lack of blogging, there have been some technical problems of connecting to the internet from this area of the Central African Republic. This will result in a lack of photos until we can suss out the problem. Despite the technical difficulties there are record numbers of elephant being sighted in Dzanga Clearing over the past week. Over the period of several days there were more than 150 individuals observed during the daylight hours but this still doesn’t break the all time daylight record of 180 seen in the early 1990’s.

With the continuing dry season there is less and less quality food available for the elephants and this is evident everywhere with the increase destruction of the vegetations. The roads are strewn with broken saplings and an area not far from our camp which is ordinarily filled with weedy secondary vegetation was leveled in one night by a group of elephants. With a remote night camera we would have filmed an undoubtedly comic scene of elephants thoroughly enjoying themselves.

In camp we are also witnessing increased elephant activity with nightly visits from elephant family groups and lone males who come in search of anything palatable. Before retiring we check to see that anything which may interest our large friends is put away out of their reach and their keen sense of smell. In the past they have broken down the wall of our storehouse after smelling bars of soap. They even find where I have spit the remains of my toothpaste and eat the soil ! This is a dry season phenomenon since they are food stressed. Fruit, a high quality food, is scarce so the eles spend there time searching far and wide for food to quell their enormous appetites.

2 responses so far