Elephant Voices

Category: 1. General News, 2. Field News Kenya, Elephant Photos, Elephant Sounds | Date: Jan 30 2008 | By: admin

Amboseli is one of Kenya’s highest revenue earning parks. Its popularity stems from the picturesque backdrop of towering, snow-capped Kilimanjaro and Amboseli’s elephants - made famous through long-term study, popular books and numerous documentary films. The fees paid by the hundreds of thousands of visiting tourists visiting Amboseli each year helps to cover the cost of running other lesser-known national parks, whose protection is equally essential to biodiversity conservation.

In December, as we were trying to accomplish our playback experiments, we had to take several hundred tourists into consideration. In the evening aggregations of elephants crossed the main road traveling from the swamp to the woodland in a spectacular moving display. Here elephants and people intersected. Tour buses can be very annoying, driving too fast, crowding the animals and leaving their car engines’ running – disturbing the elephants and destroying any opportunity for recordings!

The tourist boom the last few years has encouraged the alarming mushrooming of tourist facilities on the boundary of Amboseli, blocking migration routes and threatening to destroy the small park. Powerful individuals have blocked bringing a halt to these developments.

As the election violence escalated we watched as the number of minibuses declined, until by the time we departed there were almost no visitors left in the park. Tortilis, Amboseli’s high-end camp, was deserted during peak season, its manager left wondering what to do with the smoked salmon and the champagne. With violence continuing unabated, Kenya’s tourism sector won’t be bouncing back any time soon.

A substantial percentage of Kenya’s population survives on the tourism industry. Many camps and lodges will fold and with them the livelihoods of thousands, even millions of Kenyans. With very little income for the parks, one can only hope that Kenya Wildlife Service will be able to continue to do the important job of protecting our already threatened wildlife in the face of the increasing poverty and desperation in the communities surrounding the parks.

While we hope that the people controlling Kenya’s future will talk their way out of the deadlock – we will continue to work for the best for elephants, knowing that the future of Kenya and the planet will be poorer if these amazing animals are not to be seen.

Thank you for your continued support!

Greetings, Joyce & Petter Greeting

5 responses so far

Category: 1. General News, 2. Field News Kenya, Elephant Photos | Date: Jan 25 2008 | By: admin

In a posting on 1st January I mentioned that we had seen in the central part of the park many of the families that live in the western corner of the park and in Tanzania. As Amboseli’s elephant population has grown, and as protection for them has increased, elephants have been moving further afield. The National Park is only 390 sq km and yet Amboseli’s population roams over some 5,000 sq km. One of “our” males has been radio tracked by Alfred Kikoti over near Lake Natron, Tanzania and another one was seen near Mtito Andei (both more than 150 km away). Several Amboseli family groups have moved to Tanzania and now live near the village of Tinga-Tinga 20 km south of the border. It is always exciting to see these individuals “on safari” in the center of the park.

Over the years, one or two families have been able to move from the drier west into the more productive central part of the park - in elephant terms this is equvalent to moving into a better neighbourhood, moving up in society. This is because elephants in the central part of the park are more successful in reproductive terms than are those in the west. One family (once two families in a bond group) is the HBBC group. The HB family was once led by the beautiful and elderly Horatia. Horatia’s daughter, Hazel, is now matriarch, a beauty in her own right. We met her several times during our stay. Her long straight tusks are exquisite and almost as thick and long as her mother’s once were.

Joyce

Hazel and family in front of Kilimanjaro

Hazel’s beautiful tusks.

Tags: africa, behavior, behaviour, elephants, elephantvoices, hazel, kenya

13 responses so far

Category: 1. General News, Elephant Sounds | Date: Jan 18 2008 | By: admin

A week ago Anita asked whether we had worked with the elephant orphans at the Sheldrick Trust and whether being raised by humans affected their communication. Petter already answered that we have worked with them. Since that work resulted in a paper in Nature, and since it has some bearing on Anita’s question I will tell you a bit about what we found.

In 1998 Daphne Sheldrick’s daughter, Jill, mentioned to me that one of the orphan’s in Tsavo (where they go once they are over two years old) was making a very strange sound. So I went down to Tsavo with my recording equipment and once the orphans were settled down in their “boma” (enclosure) for the night I began recording. Almost immediately I heard a very weird sound and asked the keeper what it was. “That’s it!” he responded. It sounded like a fog horn - nothing like an elephant!

I soon realised that when I had my earphones on I couldn’t tell whether I was hearing the elephant, Malaika, making the strange noise or whether I was hearing the distant trucks on the Nairobi-Mombasa road, 3 kilometers away - and had to remove my earphones to localize the sound and differentiate them. I began thinking that perhaps Malaika (and some of the other orphans it turned out) was imitating truck sounds! But I didn’t think anyone would believe me.

Here is the sound Malaika made: Malaika imitating truck
(You may need to use earphones or be connected to a sound system to hear it).

Some years later I contacted Peter Tyack and Stephanie Watwood who study vocal learning (imitation) in dolphins about the recordings I had. At about that time Angela Steoger-Horwath got in touch with me, saying that she had recordings of a captive male African elephant who had been raised with Asian females and was making Asian elephant chirping sounds! So the four if us teamed up and wrote a paper documenting vocal learning in elephants.

Elephants are highly social and intelligent animals and they also happen to have a very flexible vocal tract. This means that they have the ability to learn to produce sounds other than those that fall in the normal repertoire of the species. In a natural social setting we may find that elephants use this ability to imitate their close associates in order to cement these bonds (a bit like our daughter’s English accent changes from Norwegian English to Kenyan English depending upon which of her friends she is with). This ability was demonstrated by the African elephant raised with Asians. In captivity elephants also seem to use their vocal learning ability in less useful ways - by imitating trucks and lawnmowers or people whistling, or just making weird sounds. Perhaps this activity relieves the boredom that captivity often presents.

4 responses so far

Category: Elephant Sounds | Date: Jan 17 2008 | By: admin

We have received our first donation report, and are very grateful for the support from
- Michele P, $30, monthly donation
- Eric O., $5, free donation
- Anna M, $50, free donation.

Thanks!Mix of elephant sounds
Joyce and Petter

One response so far

Category: 1. General News, 2. Field News Kenya, Elephant Photos | Date: Jan 16 2008 | By: admin

Our return to Norway and our office took quite some time. At Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Sunday morning we were told that our flight had already left – Petter’s ticket showed a departure time that had obviously been changed. Our rather annoying option was to take KLM’s next flight that evening, which meant 14 hours of waiting at the airport. For the time being KLM does not consider it safe for their crews to stay overnight in Nairobi. As a consequence we had to fly to Amsterdam via Dar es Salaam, where we refueled and received a new crew. We arrived in Sandefjord 20 hours later than expected, but our joyful reunion with our Border Collie, Malita, erased the extra hours.

Our month long field trip was very productive. We both have high expectations and Joyce’s exuberance sometimes means that she plans for more than we can achieve without stress. With so many of the western and Tanzanian elephant families visiting the central part of the park, we were able to accomplish all of the playbacks we had planned for in good time. Even though the current unrest prevented us from completing the ATE’s new Elephant ID database, we are very pleased with its development. We expect that it will be ready for field testing in the next few weeks.

We continue to follow with deep concern and interest the political and humanitarian crisis in Kenya. A solution that provides the basis for a peaceful and prosperous future, rather than a quick fix, is vital for all. And even if such an agreement can be made, the trust and bonds between Kenyans as individuals and as communities must be rebuilt and strengthened. We are looking at a long process.

Photos above from top: 1. Our last days in Amboseli saw more and more dust devils. Rain is much needed – it was flooding at this time last year. 2. Amboseli National Park swamps are always a good alternative for thirsty elephants and other animals. 3. Meeting Echo is always a treat and we look forward to seeing her next time. Her 2005 calf, Esprit, is doing fine, but we predict she was Echo’s last.

The next few months promises to be busy. Analysis of our playbacks (audio and video), writing papers, making additions to our photo library, updating our visual and tactile signals database, educational outreach and selected elephant welfare challenges, will fill our days in the months to come. In addition there is always a flow of incoming e-mails and elephant related requests that we do our best to respond to.

Thank you again for being with us in Amboseli, and we hope that you will continue to visit our blog and ElephantVoices throughout the year!

Best wishes, Petter and Joyce

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Category: 2. Field News Kenya, Elephant Photos | Date: Jan 12 2008 | By: admin

Our last day of playbacks ended with an extraordinary meeting with visitors to Amboseli National Park – a group of elephants from the Tanzanian slopes of Kilimanjaro. These elephants look very different from Amboseli’s elephants. They have smaller and darker bodies, smaller more triangular ears with a particular venation patterns, relatively longer legs and thinner, usually upcurved tusks. Experiencing a more negative relationship with human beings they are more wary and alert than their Amboseli counterparts. And, perhaps also because they are away from their normal range, they don’t let us come too close. We find the behavior of these elephants fascinating to watch and we enjoy every meeting with them.

As our last playback, we played a series of anti predator trumpets to them. In the previous playbacks of this type all of the Amboseli elephant families responded as we expected them to – by bunching together and reacting with alarm. The elephants from this family did the same but then they decided to charge on masse! Their behavior was masterpiece of strategic defensive action to assess the danger, then a group attack and ultimately a full retreat – organized better than any law enforcement agency could have done it. It’s all documented with video and audio tape and still images, and will be analyzed together with the 74 other playbacks we completed during this field period.

Early on 9th we packed the car, said goodbye to our friends and camp staff, Peter and Ngoshopu, and started on the bumpy hour and a quarter ride back to the border town of Namanga. From Namanga to Kiserian outside Nairobi the road is relatively OK, and after another few shaky kilometers we arrived at our property on the Rift Valley escarpment south of the Ngong Hills.

It’s name Raha Mstarehe means ”tranquility,” certainly a word Kenyan politicians should include in their thinking these days.

We hadn’t expected to be able to upload this report on Kenyan soil, but an opportunity presented itself before we depart for a cold but politically calm Norway.

Best wishes, Petter and Joyce

2 responses so far

Category: 1. General News, 2. Field News Kenya, Elephant Photos | Date: Jan 07 2008 | By: admin

Today was for me, personally, a difficult and challenging day. A year ago today, the day we returned from another month long Amboseli field trip, I lost a 22 year old son. As a consequence, 2007 was an extremely tough year.

Joyce and I got up at 5:30, and after the normal tea (for Joyce) and coffee (for me) and a bite to eat, we drove out to continue our playback experiments. It was crisp, clear and still – a great morning to be out with the hundreds of elephants making their way towards the swamps in waves. The pleasant temperature would soon climb to an uncomfortable level and by afternoon the stillness would give way to a strong wind bringing with it clouds of dust. It’s Amboseli in January, the beginning of a year which could end up very hard for all living creatures in the ecosystem if the strong winds continue to dry out the soil. With rain not expected until late March, it is bound to be difficult.

My need for quiet contemplation on this particular day I knew could best be met by being with some representatives of the Amboseli elephants. The importance of animals in many people’s life is invaluable. For me, the energy I get just being with and working for elephants is the same as that I receive when playing with our dear Border Collie Malita who is waiting to welcome us home.

After lunch I took off on my own with the aim of finding some huge males to start with. These magnificent guys may be less social and talkative than their female counterparts, but to study these big thinkers in close proximity is for me always something unique. My next and only other goal was to find 65 year old Echo, and to sit quietly a few meters from her and members of her family until sunset. I found her on the eastern corner of Ol Tukai Orok, and with her around I could dare to sink into some hours of contemplation. To balance my difficult thoughts, I allowed myself some philosophical reflections. I asked myself what Echo might be thinking about us noisy two-legged beings, what this fantastic leader of a 33-member family might have experienced in terms of human interaction, changes in the ecosystem and human expansion. I will never receive answers, but I’m willing to guess. The exercise was nevertheless a good ending to a special day, and Echo’s presence gave me the positive impulse I needed. Thank you, Echo.

Matriarch Echo (65) of the world famous elephant family The EB’s with her 2005 calf Esprit. I was close, they trust me, I could feel their ease and Echo’s confidence.

Tomorrow we are wrapping up our work, packing our gear, and gathering over a bottle or two of wine with our ATE’s colleagues, Soila Sayialel , Norah Njiraini and Katito Sayialel, who have dedicated their lives to the Amboseli elephants. Wednesday morning we will drive back to our house west of Nairobi on the edge of the Rift Valley. We have a couple of days, too, for meetings with colleagues and friends before our planned Kenya departure on Sunday morning. It will take a few days before you hear from us next – but we do intend to give you frequent updates about our work, including selected field experiences, once we are back in our office. So stay tuned.

It has been a very productive time during an extremely dramatic and tense period in Kenya’s relatively short history as an independent nation – we deeply hope that political dialogue will prevent further suffering of innocent Kenyans. A climate of turmoil, hatred and mistrust would undoubtedly spill over, affecting Kenya’s wildlife, too, …. including Amboseli’s elephants.

Greetings, Petter

8 responses so far

Category: 2. Field News Kenya, Elephant Photos | Date: Jan 06 2008 | By: admin

While the political temperature seems to be cooling down a bit, Amboseli is getting hotter and drier. Both the short and long rains failed last year, and with only a few millimeters of rainfall since we arrived on 16th December, Amboseli is quickly becoming very dusty. We can see it on the elephants, as well as on our equipment and we can certainly feel it on our bodies! The burning sun bakes our old Landcruiser and our skin is beginning to look like a lizard’s! The temperature in the car is over 35 *C, and in our tent well over 30 *C despite the makuti roof.

Elephant calves are always ready for a game and climbing on top of one another is a favorite sport. And older calf lies down inviting younger calves to clamber on top.

Our playback experiments are moving forward and we have now completed 55 of the 60 we had planned for.New shocks and some preliminary repairs on our field vehicle have kept it going without causing us additional problems, but substantial rattling and squeaks remind us about the long list of repairs needed when we are back in Nairobi. We are grateful for any contributions toward the USD 2,000 we expect will be required to get our field vehicle back into acceptable shape.

You may enjoy watching a short video clip of a young musth male approaching our car, shot by Petter. The camera used is just a small pocket type Casio Exilim, but you can see how big male elephants look even from the roof of a 4-wheel drive. Musth males can be unpredictable (or predictably aggressive!) but generally if you don’t disturb them they won’t vent their pent up testosterone on you either…….

Greetings, Petter and Joyce

Tags: africa, baby elephant, behavior, behaviour, bull, Bulls, calf, elephants, elephantvoices, kenya, Musth

2 responses so far

Category: 1. General News, 2. Field News Kenya | Date: Jan 04 2008 | By: admin

We must admit that it feels strange to continue our research here in Amboseli while the situation in the country is dire and so many people are facing terrible hardship. In between our early morning and late afternoon sessions with the elephants we are glued to the BBC World Service via our satellite radio in our tent. People we meet are tense and anxious, and fewer and fewer visitors are to be seen here in the park. The unrest is already having a huge impact on Kenya’s economy.

With news, text messages and talking to our friends and colleagues as sources of information we are trying to decide what our next move should be. As long as the best alternative seems to be to stay put, we will continue to do what we came here for. On a personal level our biggest challenge is how to safely meet up with our daughter, Selengei, who is at the Kenya coast with friends, 450 km away. With insecurity around the country, communication difficulties and food and fuel shortages it isn’t clear what the best alternative is and our plans change on a daily basis. We are keep crossing our fingers for a sensible political solution sooner rather than later.

We are fortunate to be in Amboseli during a period when hundreds of elephants have been coming into and out of Longinye Swamp every day. The typical pattern is for the elephants to come in as individual family or bond groups, and to go out as larger aggregations. It is very peaceful here and it sometimes feels strange to acknowledge that the elephants have no notion whatsoever about the conflict in the country.

One of the many birds who visit our breakfast and lunch table is a Hildebrant’s Starling that we have named “One Leg”, due to its recent misfortune of losing one of its legs. Its handicap has forced it to become extremely habituated and it now appears to have learned that if it screeches at us we will feed it! Breakfast and lunch in camp may become noisy affairs!

Tortoises seem to become more active in the rainy season and, despite the poor rainfall, we have already seen six of them since we have been here.

When elephants are in large aggregations it doesn’t take much to get them wound up. Someone trumpeted in excitement and sent more than 30 elephants floppy-running in all directions.

Since there a so many Echo fans out there we are including a short clip of Echo walking to meet up with the rest of her family.

Thank you for following us on this rather uneasy field trip.

Kind wishes, Joyce and Petter

2 responses so far

Category: Elephant Sounds | Date: Jan 03 2008 | By: admin

Hi all you elephant listeners!

I was hoping for a few more people to guess about the two trumpets…but those of you who answered were correct: the first elephant was playing and the second one was threatening a lion.

Trumpets, Joyce

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