The African elephant is perhaps the most enduring symbol of nature’s grace and fragility.
These gentle giants are Earth’s largest land mammal and a common sight for those on safari in Africa. Nonetheless, these magnificent beasts are facing unprecedented threats to their existence, making the imperative to understand more about them and the chance to encounter them in the wild more important than ever.
African Elephants 101
An adult African elephant is large. Seriously large: a fully grown male can weigh in at 13,334 lbs (6048 kg), and even the smallest adult male rarely dips below 8820 lbs (4000 kg) – which is two-and-a-half times heavier than your average family car. Females are typically just over half the weight of the male. The size difference narrows when it comes to height: the tallest males are 13 ft (4 m), with the tallest female rising to 11 ft (3.4 m). Apart from overall size, the most obvious difference between males and females is that cows have angular foreheads, while bulls have more rounded foreheads.
Apart from humankind, elephants have few natural enemies. In some areas, such as Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe or the Savuti region of northern Botswana, certain lion prides have learned to hunt infant and adolescent elephants. Thankfully, this isn’t the norm.
The Elephant Sisterhood
Elephants live in close, cross-generational groups of females. An elephant mother has one of the longest pregnancy periods – some 650 days – in the natural world. Most often, the mother gives birth to a single calf, which will be able to walk (albeit unsteadily) within hours of being born. Baby elephants continue to breastfeed throughout the first two years of their lives, with many not becoming truly independent until the age of 10.
If the young elephant is a male, he will leave the herd of his birth between 10 and 14 years of age. Sometimes dispersing males will remain alone or attach themselves to an experienced larger bull elephant. Young female elephants remain with their natal herd, which may consist of their mother, grandmother, aunts, female cousins, and other related females. This bond with fellow females lasts throughout their lifetime, with the herd usually led by an older matriarch who plays a critical role in nurturing and guiding the group.
The Most Voracious Vegetarians
Strict vegetarians, elephants eat grass, leaves, fruits, and even branches or twigs. In any 24-hour period, elephants will spend up to 19 hours eating and can consume up to 750 lbs (340 kg) – or around 5% of their considerable body weight. To illustrate, elephants can eat around 50 tons of food every year. Additionally, elephants defecate up to 30 times a day, depositing as much as 330 lbs (150 kg) of dung, which serves a crucial ecological purpose, spreading undigested seeds and enabling trees to propagate.
Elephants drink between 26 to 52 gallons of water per day, necessary as they can lose up to a gallon of moisture every hour through transepidermal water loss, in addition to urinating up to 13 gallons each day.
A Country-by-Country Guide to Seeing Elephants on Safari
Among the two species of African elephants, the much larger bush elephant is predominantly found in the savanna and light woodlands of East Africa and Southern Africa, with smaller populations in West Africa. In contrast, the forest elephant is primarily located in the forests of Central Africa but can also range into East and West Africa.
Elephants in Botswana
Botswana is home to more elephants than any other country, boasting over 130,000 as of 2016. The Okavango Delta is outstanding for elephant lovers, but Chobe National Park truly stands out with its extraordinary populations of elephants in large herds.
Elephants in Kenya
Kenya offers some of the best elephant watching on the continent. Key locations include Amboseli National Park, the Masai Mara, Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks, as well as Samburu National Reserve.
Elephants in South Africa
Kruger National Park is a popular destination for visitors, providing prime elephant-watching opportunities. Addo Elephant National Park is South Africa’s third-largest national park and noted for its exceptional elephant viewing.
Elephants in Namibia
Etosha National Park is the best option for elephant spotting. Additionally, witnessing the desert-adapted elephants of Damaraland is another remarkable experience.
Elephants in Tanzania
While Tanzania’s elephant population is in decline, sightings remain generally excellent in Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, and Ruaha national parks.
Elephants in Zambia
South Luangwa National Park offers some of the best opportunities for elephant spotting in Zambia.
Elephants in Zimbabwe
As of 2016, Zimbabwe had over 80,000 elephants, second only to Botswana. Notable locations include Hwange and Mana Pools national parks, with Hwange being home to nearly half of Zimbabwe’s elephants.
Elephants in Malawi
Malawi’s Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve is a lovely park, particularly after the historic translocation of 500 elephants to its borders.
Elephants in Mozambique
In Mozambique, Gorongosa National Park is celebrated for its excellent elephant viewing opportunities.
Elephants in Peril
Due to the enduring popularity of ivory in tusks (especially in Asia), elephants have been poached in unsustainable numbers since the 1970s, leading to a dramatic decline in their populations. The African elephant is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
During the 1970s and ’80s, poaching caused African elephant populations to crash from approximately 1.3 million to 500,000. Although a trade ban on ivory was instituted in 1989, poaching is once again on the rise, with Africa losing more than 30,000 elephants annually since 2010.
In 2016, the Great Elephant Census revealed a 30% decrease in Africa’s elephant populations, although there were positive signs with Kenya’s population being relatively stable. Conversely, Tanzania faced a catastrophic 60% decline. As conservation efforts gain momentum, the community eagerly anticipates data that indicates progress in protecting these majestic creatures.
