Page 7 - KGR 2020 Review Book

helicopter and then load him onto a trailer and relocate him into Karingani
Game Reserve. However, this plan was easier said than done. The bull with
the GPS collar was the one that easily walked into the reserve, leaving the
bull on the outside un-trackable by radio telemetry. Karingani Bathawk pilot,
Brandon Marcus, flew over areas that had reported the elephant until the bull
was spotted and the ground teams could implement the plan into action. The
helicopter crew got Dr Almeida close enough to be able to immobilise bull
elephant using an anesthetic loaded into a syringe dart which was then fired
from a capture gun by the veterinarian. The dart and anesthetic do not harm the
elephant. Reserve warden, Ellery Worth, led the ground crew from Karingani to
facilitate loading and transporting of the bull elephant.

The precious cargo was transported into Karingani Game Reserve where the
bull was once again hoisted by the crane truck and gently placed back on
the ground. A round of reversal antidotes were given by the veterinarians
and within minutes the bull was back on his feet, this time within the safe
confinements of Karingani.

While the helicopter and veterinarians were in Karingani, their assistance was
used to locate and immobilise two more elephants within the reserve to place
GPS tracking collars on them. Tracking collars allow for critical information on
elephant movement, migration and habitat use to be collected. This enables
researchers and reserve management to gain knowledge into how elephants
utilise the landscape and provide insight in how they can better preserve the
ecosystem around its largest inhabitants’ use. Two elephants, a bull and a
cow, were chosen from a predetermined section of Karingani Game Reserve.
Elephant cows live in matriarchal groups, and by collaring one female, we can
gain understanding into the movement patterns of the entire herd. Bulls, on the
other hand, tend to be solitary or sometimes roam within small bachelor groups
over vast distances giving insight on larger migratory patterns over time. The A counterweight is placed at the bottom of the collar to keep the GPS receiver facing upwards.
collars were custom fitted to the individual allowing for the least amount of March 2020
interference.

Overall, it was a very successful day at Karingani Game Reserve with an
elephant safely back within the borders of a protected area and two elephants
fitted with GPS technology. None of this would have been possible without
the support of Mozambique’s National Administration of Conservation
Areas (ANAC), Peace Parks Foundation, Karingani’s investors, Environmental
Management Conservation Trust pilots and the expertise and assistance from
Saving the Survivors.