KNYSNA NEWS - A R5-million private initiative to reintroduce a small herd of elephants into the Knysna forest aimed at ending decades of solitude for the region's last surviving elephant Oupoot, has been formally withdrawn on 25 October.

This development follows a prolonged period of limited progress in discussions with SANParks, according to the conser-vation group Herd Instinct.

The plan was intended to provide social companionship for the lone elephant known as Strangefoot (or Oupoot), a 55-year-old cow who has lived without other elephants since the 1990s.

Jarrett Joubert, spokesperson of Herd Instinct, said that female elephants are deeply social animals that thrive within the structure and support of a herd. 

"After decades on her own, Strangefoot deserves the opportunity to reconnect with her own kind, but this can only be achieved with SANParks' active co-operation."

Lessons from a failed introduction
A previous attempt to bolster the Knysna population ended in tragedy. In 1994, three young Kruger National Park elephants were released into the forest. 

Oupoot briefly guided the newcomers along old elephant paths, but the dense vegetation and steep terrain overwhelmed the animals.

One calf died of stress-related pneumonia within days, and the remaining two repeatedly wandered onto private farmland. They were removed in 1999.

Learning from that experience, Herd Instinct's proposal focused exclusively on elephants already acclimatised to the Southern Cape environment; initially three individuals, and later a bonded mother-and-offspring pair, all made available for the project with the support of the Knysna Elephant Park.

Joubert said that after years of consultations, reports and waiting, it became clear the process was not progressing.

"Documents obtained under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) show no record of recent ecological or behavioural studies having been completed by SANParks on Oupoot.

The suitable elephants could not be kept in limbo indefinitely, and despite submitting a comprehensive proposal to SANParks, no decision followed. The opportunity passed, and the original candidate elephants have since been successfully rewilded elsewhere."

Furthermore, Joubert confirmed that an independent poll conducted by Friends of the Knysna Elephant found that 81% of respondents from diverse communities support reintroducing elephants to the forest.

The Knysna-Plett Herald reported on 19 July this year about a rare sighting of Oupoot in the Karatara region on the farm of a local farmer, Oubaas Fourie.

At the time Phokela Lebea, SANParks regional communications manager, confirmed that SANParks are undertaking a comprehensive risk assessment process to guide any future decisions regarding the protection of the Knysna elephant. 

"At this stage, the process is still ongoing. We remain committed to ensuring that any decision taken is informed by sound scientific, conservation and stakeholder considerations. We will communicate publicly once the process is concluded," the statement read.

Background on Oupoot
Ryno Joubert, who is currently writing an in-depth history of the Knysna elephants, due to be released in 2026, says Strangefoot is 55 years old (born in 1970) and has lived alone since around 1990.

"There has been ongoing confusion over Strangefoot's sex. While her rounded head profile resembles that of a bull, camera trap images and photographs clearly show shrivelled mammary glands, which develop only in cows that have previously calved.

Her unusual head shape may be the result of genetic variation or historical inbreeding within a small population.

She belongs to the African savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana), the same species found in areas such as the Kruger National Park. 

What differentiates her is not the species, but the lineage and environmental history of her ancestors, which gradually adapted to the dense, closed-canopy forests and fynbos of the Southern Cape, " he explained.

SANParks
At the time of going to press, SANParks had not issued an official response to the withdrawal of the proposal. Any comment received will be published as soon as it becomes available.

Read previous articles:

• Rare sighting: Oupoot spotted in Karatara
• The last remaining elephant in Knysna
• More elephants for the Knysna forest?

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