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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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
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 [...]
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, [...]
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) [...]
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 [...]
africa,
baby elephant,
behavior,
behaviour,
bull,
Bulls,
calf,
elephants,
elephantvoices,
kenya,
Musth Comments (2)
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 [...]
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
