More elephants for Knysna?

KNYSNA NEWS - Is it fact, fiction or a plain pipe-dream that more elephants could be introduced into the Knysna forest?

A meeting held at the Knysna Angling Club on 14 March to discuss this very issue was packed with close to 200 locals waiting with bated breath to hear what Herd Instinct (HI) - the name of the group spearheading this project - had to say.

Jarrett Joubert of HI, one of four people driving the movement to introduce new elephants, said HI had been planning this meeting for a very long time and he had no idea that there would be such a big turnout.

"We didn't know what to expect so the turnout was very encouraging. It shows the passion that locals have for our natural heritage," he said.

HI propose that some three to five female elephants who presently live at the Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve be moved into the Knysna forests.

There is almost certainly one old elephant still living alone in the forest who has over the years garnered the name "Oupoot."

HI prefer to call her Fiela, her namesake taken from author Dalene Matthee's book Fiela se Kind.

Fiela is thought to be in her 50s. A focus at the meeting was that Fiela is lonely and that humans who effectively killed elephants over the years, should now atone for this by giving Fiela some friends.

Should this introduction of the females first (because they socialise better in a tribe) prove to be a success, more elephants could even be added in future, said Joubert.

The Plett elephants are owned by Ian Withers of the Knysna Elephant Park (KEP) who is willing to donate them and foot the entire cost of this project.

An extensive study has been done by HI and elephant experts, including Withers, into the feasibility of moving these elephants into the forest.

HI say everything is in place for this to happen.

The stumbling block at this point is permission from SANParks who were missing from the meeting.

At this point the only comment from SANParks has been to say [sic]: "Since confirmation of the presence of a wild female elephant remaining in the Knysna forest and fynbos under its management, evidence-based decision-making has required South African National Parks (SANParks) to embark on two types of assessments (sociological and ecological) that will guide future management on the existence of elephant/s in the area. Most respondents advised that there must be a cautious management approach that is informed by inputs from elephant specialists, followed by landowners and conservation authorities."

At the end of the meeting locals were invited to sign-up to support this initiative which they eagerly did. For more information go to Herd Instinct on Facebook.