Update

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

At this point there are solid plans in place, formulated by elephant experts and conservationists, but nothing can happen without the green light from SANParks, which will not be forthcoming until they have concluded various research, they told Knysna-Plett Herald.

A meeting held at the Knysna Angling Club on 14 March to discuss introducing more elephants into the Knysna Forest 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.

Herd Instinct is made up of environmentalist and film-maker Ryan Davy, journalist Ivo Vegter, passionate Knysna resident Rod Ward Able and Jarrett Joubert, who is a nature conservationist and the manager of the African Elephant Research Unit.

Joubert said that HI had been planning this meeting for a very long time in the hope that SANParks would come on board, but after many months of efforts to communicate with them, the meeting had to go ahead. When asked SANParks told KPH they were not going to be present at the meeting.

Joubert said he had no idea that there would be such a big turnout at the meeting. "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.

Three to five ellies identified

HI proposes that some three to five female elephants, between 10 and 35 years old, that presently live at the Plettenberg Bay Game Reserve be moved into the Knysna forests. HI say this is urgent because the one lone female elephant left in the forest (which Davy has seen and photographed and which SANParks confirms is alive) is 'lonely and deserves company.'

"For a highly social and intelligent species like an elephant, this is essentially a sentence of solitary confinement. Considering her estimated age and circumstances of living, a measure of urgency is justified. The national norms and standards for the management of elephants (Nemba) says that every reasonable effort must be made to safeguard elephants from abuse and neglect. 

"To leave a highly social and intelligent animal alone, deprived by human actions of a herd, is as definitive a form of neglect as imaginable and in blatant contravention of this. HI will thus continue to press forward and remains eager to work with the public and governing authorities to create positive change for Fiela," said Joubert.

Her new name is Fiela

In the past, this old elephant was commonly called "Oupoot", but HI has decided to call her Fiela, a name aptly taken from author Dalene Matthee's book Fiela se Kind. Fiela is thought to be in her 50s and HI says, "Fiela is lonely and humans who are responsible for the crash of the regional elephant population (through historic mismanagement, hunting, and poaching practices) should now atone for this by giving Fiela a herd by introducing younger female elephants."

HI says she may still live for 20 years and even still be fertile into the senior years of her life. Should this introduction of females (better suited to socialise together in a herd) prove to be a success, select future introductions could be considered, said Joubert.

The Plett elephants are owned by Ian Withers of the Knysna Elephant Park (KEP) who is willing to donate them to this project and offer the financial support required to carry it out.

Knysna Elephant Park has 30 years of experience in managing elephants and they say giving Fiela company is "the right thing to do by Fiela."

"Hopes are that Fiela will take to these female elephants over time but should she decide that she doesn't like their company, the project can be reversed," explains Joubert.

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

Hopes the new elephants will bond with Fiela

"We believe Fiela will, after familiarising with them, begin to bond, as is the nature of African elephants who instinctually live together for safety and company," said Joubert.

The earmarked elephants are free-roaming. They do receive some food and human contact from their elephant guides before their daily foraging. Their familiarised nature to humans makes them ideal candidates for the Knysna forest, posing a much lower risk to people than the introduction of wild elephants, say HI.

Ryan Davy took four three-week expeditions into the forest to find Fiela and he eventually found her, thus confirming she is indeed the last remaining elephant in the forest.

HI says signs that Fiela is lonely include occasional visits to herds of cows on farms near her territory and she "sometimes cosies up to big forestry vehicles."

To be closely monitored

Should it go ahead, the introduction of these elephants and the response from Fiela will be carefully monitored with cameras, tracking methods on each elephant, a four-wheeler vehicle and drones and non-invasive research methods. 

Dung samples can be collected to test the stress levels of the elephants of both of Fiela and the newcomers, to analyse their reactions to new company, or in the case of the introduced herd, their new environment too.

SANParks

The stumbling block at this point is permission from SANParks, that was missing from the meeting.

At this point the only comment from SANParks has been: "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."

The plan

Herd Instinct proposes an actionable plan that can resolve the matter in months if successful, and if not, remains fully reversible and can restore the status quo. 

"This adaptive management approach is a golden opportunity and comes at zero cost for SANParks. Science is not a justifiable excuse for inaction, particularly over decades of the life of the last forest elephant where time could not be of greater import. It's low risk and if it doesn't work, then at least Fiela was given the chance of a natural elephant social structure and companionship," says Joubert.

At the end of the meeting, locals were invited to sign up to support the initiative, which they eagerly did. During a question and answer session, it became clear that many people who think Fiela is lonely support HI's plans, while there are a few others less certain.

Since the meeting and an online story in Knysna-Plett Herald, there has been a deluge of support for HI's plans online. For more information, go to Herd Instinct on Facebook.

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