KNYSNA NEWS - After eight years of research and writing, Ryno Joubert's long-awaited book, The Knysna Elephants: A Journey to the Last Forest Giants, has finally been completed.
Joubert's fascination began in 2001, when he visited the Garden Route on a school tour.
He started writing the book in 2018, researching historical documents, scientific publications, newspaper reports, photographs, videos and personal recollections.
Preserving a lost history
Joubert's central message is that the Knysna elephants' story extends beyond Oupoot, the sole elephant believed to remain in the Knysna forest.
It reflects the disappearance of a once much larger population that roamed extensive parts of the Cape before hunting, ivory poaching and habitat loss reduced their numbers.
He hopes the book will preserve valuable knowledge and memories while encouraging greater appreciation of the indigenous forests and biodiversity of the Southern Cape.
Oupoot's uncertain future
Oupoot's future remains uncertain. Although some people support introducing other elephants to the forest, Joubert believes ecological factors must be carefully considered. The forest and fynbos environment may lack sufficient nutrients, including phosphorus, to sustain a permanently breeding population.
He also points to the 1994 reintroduction attempt involving three young elephants from the Kruger National Park. One calf died from exhaustion and stress-related pneumonia, while the other two left the forest and were eventually removed from private property.
Herd Instinct's proposal, supported by the Knysna Elephant Park, to establish an older cow and her offspring in the forest was withdrawn in October 2025. In the meantime, SANParks continues investigating possible elephant management options in the Garden Route National Park.
"I believe Oupoot's welfare and the protection of the indigenous forest must come first."
Reintroducing elephants may sound like a way to restore the population, but we need to ask whether it would be ecologically responsible and sustainable. Decisions must be based on careful consideration of the available information and the possible consequences.
The story of the Knysna elephants is much bigger than a single elephant surviving in the forest today.
I hope the book will preserve this important chapter of South Africa's natural heritage and help future generations understand how human actions can affect wildlife," he said.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
