The Knysna Forest’s last remaining elephant is in good health and appears to enjoy being on her own.
The lone elephant cow took centre stage during a one-day SA National Parks (SANParks) excursion in the Garden Route.
Almost a decade after SANParks scientist and wildlife ecologist Dr Liz Moolman was able to film the forest elephant cow, named “Strange Foot”, discussions continue about whether it would be a good idea to have more elephants join her in the forest.
Retired ranger Nilfred Oraai, who dedicated his career to tracking Strangefoot, said she was estimated to be between 40 and 50 years old.
She has also defied the odds to become the first elephant cow recorded nationally and internationally to have survived the jungle without a herd.
“It’s a very tricky situation in terms of just bringing in elephants,” Moolman said.
Moolman explained that as a park they were trying to avoid some of the mistakes of the past.
She said in 1994, then-management tried to bring in three cow orphans from the Kruger National Park, but they did not stay within the protected area.
This resulted in rangers spending five years tracking the elephants to retrieve them.
Oraai, who has worked in the Knysna Forest for more than 35 years, said though he would ideally like to let nature be, he could not imagine the forest without an elephant.
He recalled how an attempt to add elephants to join the lone cow elephant had ended in them fighting in 1994.
“The gates were broken, and we had to follow the [Kruger Park] elephants.
“They were together for just two months before they went their separate ways.
“One died, and the remaining two were found on private land and ultimately removed.
“I believe this beautiful animal has made her mark, and lived to tell an unforgettable tale. It has survived the floods, fires and poachers.
“Knysna’s last standing elephant has proven to be one of the strongest and smartest elephants in the world,” he said proudly.
SANParks spokesperson JP Louw said their research highlighted the evasive nature of the Knysna elephant and its tendency to avoid human interaction, reinforcing the need for careful consideration of any future interventions.
“These findings support a low-risk, minimal-disturbance approach, aligning with the cautious stance recommended by stakeholders,” he said.
Moolman started researching the Knysna elephant about 17 years ago, and remembered how excited she had been to start working with SANParks as she was under the impression that more than one elephant would be found in the forest.
In 2014, she placed camera trackers in different parts of the forest as part of her research.
After tracking Strangefoot for a year, she was convinced that with more cameras placed around the forest, more discoveries would be made.
In 2017, after an intense tracking period, she said unfortunately the belief was true that there was only one female elephant.
She said a recent test of the elephant dung had shown it to be in good health, and according to camera footage, she was happy and not in any imminent danger.
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