Abstract
Translocations of wild African (Loxodonta africana) elephants have increased significantly since 1993, after Clem Coetzee developed a new method to move adult elephants in Zimbabwe. Since then, the technique has been optimized mainly by the staff of the Kruger National Park (KNP), and over 750 elephants in family units and almost 100 mature bulls have been translocated by the KNP capture team.1 The translocations were mainly performed for reducing the number of elephants in KNP and for stocking other reserves. Few elephants were also moved for overseas export to international zoological institutions. However, each elephant translocation is always a logistical challenge and is extremely costly. Therefore, it is very important to select the right elephants or elephant groups for the future translocation. If the main goal of a translocation is the establishment of a new breeding group, it is especially important to identify infertile individuals and highly pregnant females (which could have a miscarriage due to the transport stress). The IZW team developed a field-applicable portable ultrasound technique which allows the reproductive evaluation of an immobilized wild elephant in about 15 minutes.2 So far, ultrasonographic assessments have been used for the selection process of the immobilized elephants during two translocation projects in KNP (1997) and the Royal National Parks Mkaya and Hlane in Swaziland (2003). A total of 8.13 elephants were sonographically examined. Due to underdeveloped genital tract, reproductive disorder, late pregnancy or perinatal stage 2.3 elephants (approximately 24%) from the originally selected 21 individuals were reversed and released to the wild. The transrectal ultrasound evaluation offered a new opportunity for the accurate selection of reproductive healthy individuals for translocation, and it helped to avoid the transport of late-pregnant cows with the high risk of miscarriage.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the South African capture crew, Mickey Reilly (Kingdom of Swaziland), Mike Bester (Bester Birds and Animals South Africa), Eric Zeehandelaar (FJ Zeehandelaar, Inc), Dr. Larry Killmar (ZSSD), and Randy Rieches (ZSSD).
Literature Cited
1. Hofmeyr, M. 2003. Translocation as a management tool for control of elephant populations. Managing African Elephant Populations: Act or Let Die. Beekbergen, The Netherlands, 6–7 Nov: 38–39.
2. Hildebrandt T. B., F. Göritz, N. C. Pratt, D. L. Schmitt, S. Quandt, J. Raath and R. R. Hofmann. 1998. Reproductive assessment of male elephants (Loxodonta africana and Elephas maximus) by ultrasonography. J. Zoo Wildl. Med. 29: 114–128.