ABOUT DESERT ELEPHANTS IN NAMIBIA

In the late 1990s an intrepid elephant bull named Voortrekker, meaning 'first walker', ventured south, from the northern part of Namibia, where most elephants had then settled. Later he led a group of elephants, now known as Mama Afrika's herd, back to the Ugab River to take advantage of seasonal and annual resources. From that point on, other elephant herds have followed, and there are now a total of five resident matriarchal herds in the Ugab and Huab River regions.

Depending on the season, other herds and individual bulls from the north-east visit the area.

Are desert elephants a separate species?

Elephants belong to the taxonomic order Proboscidea, which contains one living family, Elephantidae, and several extinct families. This order encompasses the trunked mammals. In addition to their enormous size, later proboscideans are distinguished by tusks and long, muscular trunks; these features were less developed or absent in the smaller early proboscideans. At one time, the Elephantidae family comprised of six genera and 26 species. Analysis of skull anatomy reveals all members of the Elephantidae family had well-developed trunks based on the elevated position of the nostrils. Early ancestors of elephants have roamed all over North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Today, only two genera of the family Elephantidae are living: Loxodonta and Elephas. Namibia's desert elephants or desert-dwelling elephants thrive in a unique environment, and although their behaviour suggests that they are a distinct species of elephant, they are African bush elephants (Loxodonta Africana). The distinctive characteristics and unique social structure of desert-dwelling elephants are simply adaptations to the extreme temperatures and the rocky plains of Namibia's north-west Kunene region. There are no genetic differences between elephants found across Namibia's wilderness, and the recorded movement of bull elephants between savannah areas like Namibia's Etosha National Park and the desert suggests that there is sufficient genetic exchange to currently conclude that they are not a unique subspecies.

Who are the nearest relatives of elephants?

Although the fossil evidence is uncertain, by comparing genes, scientists have discovered evidence that elephantids and other proboscideans share distant ancestry with Sirenia (sea cows/dugong) and Hyracoidea (hyraxes). Elephants, dugongs and hyraxes have the following similar characteristics that provide further evidence to an ancestral relationship:

• All possess two mammary glands

• Similar heart structure – Elephants and dugongs have a circular-shaped heart.

• Similar foot structure - Elephants and hyraxes both possess thick, padded soles on the feet, which are used to cushion walking. Hyraxes have four claws (toenails on the elephant) on its front feet and three on the rear (like the African elephant).

• Similar arrangement of teeth - In both dugongs and elephants, molars shift forward (towards the front of the mouth), gradually breaking off, and are replaced by those from behind. Additionally, dugongs and hyraxes possess two incisors that structurally resemble elephant tusks.

Where do desert-dwelling elephants live?

Living in the arid to semi-arid north-western regions of Namibia, in the southern Kunene and northern Erongo Region (formerly known as Damaraland), the desert elephants encompass 115,154 km2 of mostly sandy desert, rocky mountains and arid gravel plains. This region is arid and receives approximately 50-150mm of rain annually.

In Namibia, several distinct desert elephant subpopulations are living in the following ephemeral rivers, namely the Hoanib, Hoarusib, Uniab, Huab and Ugab River.  EHRA monitor the elephants that live in the Huab and Ugab Rivers. The elephants spend most of their time in the dry riverbeds where big Ana trees (Faidherbia albida) and Camel thorn trees (Acacia erioloba) grow, that provide an invaluable food source to the herbivores. The extent of the seasonal travels and home ranges of Namibia's desert-dwelling elephants is probably the greatest ever recorded for African elephants. The movements of desert elephants undoubtedly cover by far the most extended distances of any elephant population. One of the most substantial home ranges ever recorded was by an elephant bull, covering 10,738 km2.

How many elephants are left?

In Africa, there are two species of elephant; African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis). The latest research carried out during the Great Elephant Census in 2016 concludes only 352,271 savanna elephants are left —a 30% drop in seven years. African elephants can be found in 37 countries in sub-Saharan Africa; however, populations in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo have been decreased dramatically over the past 12 years due to illegal poaching, human-wildlife conflict, hunting and resource scarcity.

 Elephants are among the most intelligent and sentient mammals on earth and pre-date humans by millions of years, yet, in Africa, an elephant is killed every 15 minutes – all to support the human desire for ivory. We estimate that a minimum of 100 African elephants are killed illegally daily. Because elephant hunting is still broadly accepted in most African countries, we do not have an understanding of the real figure relating to the number of African elephants that are still left, as the hunting quotas are not always publicly available.

Do desert elephants drink less water?

Desert-dwelling elephants can survive without drinking water for several days. They survive by eating moisture-laden vegetation that grows in riverbeds. Sometimes, they must travel long distances to reach a water source.

Elephants have a pharyngeal pouch that is located within their throat. The pharyngeal pouch holds water and elephants can be observed on hot days when there is no water nearby, inserting their trunks into their mouths, withdrawing water, and using it primarily to spray themselves to cool themselves down.

What do elephants eat?

In Namibia, desert-dwelling elephants feed on a large variety of flora, including leaves, shoots, bark, flowers, fruit, bulbs, tuberous roots and grasses. They have distinct seasonal feeding preferences to utilise food availability. During the rainy season, the elephants tend to eat more grass, which becomes abundantly available due to rain, and during the dry season, they concentrate on browsing on trees. Desert elephants specifically spend time eating Ana trees and Camel Thorn trees, also browsing Mopane trees when necessary and Tamarisk trees for salt intake.

Due to the extreme weather conditions, Namibia’s desert elephants roam mostly at night and have adapted their drinking and feeding habits to the available resources. Usually, if a herd has found an area which has an abundance of resources, they are likely to stay within that area for a while, before continuing their journey across the Namib desert.

Elephants can live anywhere there is adequate food and water, where rainfall ranges from 200 mm per year up to 1200 mm. In the Kunene Region, where they manage to survive with rainfall of less than 150 mm per year, they live at low density (1/100 km2).  Their diet is highly varied, according to season and availability of food.

• Elephants spend about 55% of their time eating

• They consume about 4-6% of body weight daily, i.e., a 5,000 kg bull eats 200-300 kg of fresh plant material a day; a 2,800kg cow needs from 112-170 kg.

• They only digest about 40% of the food they eat; their dung contains undigested seeds and other plant material, which other animals eat.

• Adults drink 170 to 230 litres of water at a time.