Increasing our Understanding of Forest Elephants
The Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park Forest Elephant study has produced valuable data on forest elephant population structure in Congo, as well as spatial movements and bai use. Over four years of observation, and a total of more than five hundred observation days, a total of 882 forest elephants have been identified across the three bais. Bai visitation rates are high, with elephants present on nearly two-thirds of observation days. Preference for particular bais is observed (with over 55% of the known population identified at Bonye), although elephants are observed to use more than one bai in their home range, suggesting that bai density or distribution may form an important factor determining habitat use. Seasonal variation in bai use has been observed, with 40% of annual visits recorded during the months of August-September (corresponding to the major fruiting season). Overall population structure is skewed in favor of adult females, even after accounting for life-history factors, with further sex-based differences observed in the use of particular bais by known individuals.
To understand further the reasons behind these observations, the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park project is collaborating with researchers in CAR to investigate meta-population trends across the whole bai complex stretching across the binational region of CAR/Congo. An ongoing project to compare identify cards of known individuals at the two bai complexes is attempting to elucidate larger-scale patterns in population structure and habitat use.