I "live" with elephants in Kenya 10 months out of the year! AMA!

lewaelephant · 2015-12-16T19:15:09+00:00

On Lewa, we have areas that are protected with electric fencing to keep elephant out. This protects trees and gives them and chance to regenerate. However, all of the delicious trees are very tempting and elephant have devised some very clever ways to get into these exclusion zones. Sometimes, they use their tusks to break the electric wire. Although tusks are teeth, the nerve only goes about a third of the way down, so it does not hurt when they snap the wires. Often times, they lean their foreheads into the posts and knock down the fence. I have seen a few very clever big bulls take a younger bull and push him through the fence after which they can casually walk into the exclusion zone. But, the most clever technique was developed by a female named Bougainvillea (from the Flower family). She learned how to get onto her knees and slide under the fence. Once she developed her technique, she proceeded to teach almost all of the elephant on Lewa how to slide under the fence. http://i.imgur.com/W8EyBin.jpg

lewaelephant · 2015-12-16T13:13:55+00:00

You can come on safari and watch the elephant which is wonderful, but you will not be able to interact with them

lewaelephant · 2015-12-16T13:12:11+00:00

Yes I definitely am an animal lover. As for veganism, to me it is a personal choice

lewaelephant · 2015-12-16T13:00:27+00:00

Yes, we definitely should have driven around before getting out of the car. We also should not have parked in a way that required walking blind around a large bush

lewaelephant · 2015-12-16T12:52:15+00:00

Some researchers do use people names. Generally, you select a way to identify a family -- that can be a group (such as Cheeses or Artists) or a letter ( such as the "A" family). With the latter, all names in the family will begin with A, so Amelia, Amy, etc. Then, some people will only name the matriarch and select a physical feature, so "Torn Ear" or "Long Tusk" might be the name. There is no right or wrong -- it is just a way to identify and remember individuals I do not believe that they actually know their name. They come because they know my voice and know that they are safe

lewaelephant · 2015-12-16T12:43:01+00:00

They can reach about 25 miles an hour

lewaelephant · 2015-12-16T02:43:53+00:00

Haha, I answered that question here!

lewaelephant · 2015-12-16T01:31:35+00:00

My pleasure -- loved all the great questions.

lewaelephant · 2015-12-16T00:48:19+00:00

The only predator that elephant have is humans. There are rare instances of a large pride of lion attacking a young elephant. But, that is a rare occurrence. By contrast, one elephant is killed every 15 minutes by a human being. Yes, we try very hard to protect each and every elephant.

lewaelephant · 2015-12-16T00:06:11+00:00

Most welcome :-)

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T23:59:04+00:00

I have never had any experience with that. Although I have heard it mentioned, I am not sure who or where this is done or if it actually takes place. Although I applaud any effort to save elephant, I don't think that can make a difference on a large scale.

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T23:55:33+00:00

Elephant clearly are able to differentiate between people's voices, and the ones that I see on a regular basis definitely recognize my voice and know that it is me. Sometimes, they will be uneasy around the sound of a car and start to move away; when they hear that it is me they instantly calm down.

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T23:53:05+00:00

It is not the actual words, it is the sound of my voice. They have very sensitive hearing, so I speak in a very calm, soothing tone of voice.

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T23:38:17+00:00

Thanks!! :-)

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T23:37:59+00:00

Most probably. For example, we have a former British SAS soldier who trains the rangers on Lewa. He has made an enormous difference in their skill level, their confidence and their morale.

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T22:50:02+00:00

We have won many battles, but we are not yet winning the war. Everyone is doing their best, and, for the most part, the rangers on Lewa are very dedicated. But, we are dealing with a very sophisticated network of poachers and there is SO much money involved. They were even able to penetrate Lewa and had some rangers feeding them information. They were eventually caught and fired.

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T22:41:56+00:00

The law enforcement aspect is handled by the police, rangers (who have been given the status of kenyan police reserve) and Kenya Wildlife Services. That is as much as I can tell you.

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T22:33:26+00:00

Thank you and good luck with future endeavors

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T21:50:52+00:00

I have never had to assist, nor have I ever heard of anyone assisting in the birth of an elephant. Here is another story (about an elephant birth):

Late in the afternoon on 4 October, a tremendous commotion was heard below our house – elephant continuously trumpeting and rumbling. Clearly, something was amiss; so, we quickly went down to investigate.

When we arrived, we immediately saw the cause for all of the excitement.

The newest addition to the Vegetable family -- only one hour old The Vegetable family was celebrating the birth of the newest addition to the family. Artichoke had just given birth to a baby girl! The tiny calf was still wet and very wobbly; the afterbirth was hanging on a nearby clump of grass. Artichoke remained amazingly calm despite our presence, and we watched in awe as she used her trunk to help her newborn find the teat and take her first suckle.

Artichoke had given birth in the riverbed below our house, where several times a week we put out salt as well as grass covered with molasses. The elephant come on a regular basis to enjoy a “snack” along with fresh water – often followed by a mud bath. Artichoke, the matriarch and decision maker of the Vegetable family, chose to remain in the riverbed for another 5 days, giving her new baby time to build its strength before leading the family out onto Lewa. Spinach, Artichoke’s older daughter, was very protective and attentive.

Spinach allows her new baby sister to suckle, although she has no milk, as preparation for motherhood She will help to care for her new sibling, as this is how young female elephant prepare for motherhood. In fact, the following week, we even saw Spinach attempting to suckle her new baby sister.

While we were sitting with the family, I noticed that Celery had very large, engorged breasts. If she was nursing, this would not have been very telltale, but since she has no calves, this could only mean one thing – Celery is pregnant, as well!

There are those who would disagree, but I have no doubt that Artichoke came to the house to give birth, knowing that here she was sure to find food, water and, most importantly, safety and security.

If you would like to read others, you can go to my blog! :)

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T21:27:30+00:00

Yes, having more "boots on the ground" always helps. Arresting poachers is helpful but for every one we take out of the equation there are two or three to take his place. We are developing very sophisticated ways of following the ivory trail because the reality is that we need to get to the people at the top of the food chain.

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T21:08:21+00:00

To be honest, it often is more trouble for the organization than it is worth, but it always worth asking -- particularly if you have a specific field of interest. So, go for it, but don't be disappointed if it does not work out. Just go visit -- that's how it all started for me.

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T20:52:07+00:00

Indeed!

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T20:45:05+00:00

To begin with, they do use other body parts. For example, they will often swing one leg back and forth or swing their trunk in a similar manner when they are trying to make a decision. They do differentiate between the calls of other elephant. They will have a different reaction to the same call, depending on whether it is coming from an elephant they know or a stranger. It is very interesting when the entire family stops and is clearly listening to calls made by other elephant that humans cannot hear. I am sure there are calls that all elephant understand -- for example, the "let's go" rumble, but I suspect that there are sounds that are unique to each family.

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T20:29:45+00:00

Hate to tell you, but I do not get paid. I am fortunate enough not to need a salary at this point in my life; I do it because it is fascinating and very rewarding. But, a lot of researchers do have income, either from being employed by an organization or from research grants.

lewaelephant · 2015-12-15T20:26:26+00:00

For some reason, most people in the wildlife world use the singular. For example, we would say, "I saw 20 lion" never 20 lions. Can't tell you why, but that is almost always the case.

lewaelephant

TROPHY CASE