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Project title: The Transboundary Elephant Research Programme within Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, South Africa Assistance Award Number: F16AP00932 Project Officer: Dr. Michelle Henley Project start date: 20 September 2016 Project end date: 30 September 2018 Reporting period: August 2016 - December 2018 and

where applicable prior to this period

US Fish and Wildlife Service Assistance Award (FINAL) performance report

September 2018

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a. Executive summary Project purpose, results and achievements

Our long-term research, kindly enabled by USFWS support, is providing fundamental information

for elephant management and protection; informing conservation bodies and private landowners

on seasonal movements, sustainability of trophy hunting in some private reserves, impact on

vegetation– and is currently also identifying poaching hotspots. For more than twenty years,

Elephants Alive has been studying the elephants across the Great Limpopo Transfrontier

Conservation Area. We have developed an identification database of over 2000 elephants,

including elephants in the Pafuri region of the Kruger National Park, and have tracked 93

elephants (50 males and 43 females) since 1998. In keeping with our mission and the need for

intact habitat, we also monitor more close to 4000 large trees known as favoured food species by

elephants or used as nesting sites for vulture, raptors or southern ground hornbills. As well as

our field research, it is Elephant Alive’s belief that to ensure the long-term preservation of free-

ranging elephants, it is critical to empower, inform and involve local impoverished communities.

We encourage building relationships for generations to come by partnering with existing NGOs

doing valuable outreach work, and we prioritise women, including grandmothers who are the

pillars of society, similar to the elephant societies we study. Hence, we use grandmothers within

the community to nurture bee-gardens with honey as the rewarding and income generating

ecosystem service. Promoting positive relations with surrounding communities is one of the most

effective ways of diminishing human:elephant conflict in its most severe form i.e. illegal killings.

Our efforts are enabling the following:

Helping to inform anti-poaching efforts by identifying “fear landscapes” – unsafe

areas that elephants are avoiding.

Predicting large tree survival rates in areas where elephant populations are

expanding - especially the private reserves with numerous artificial water holes.

Understanding which bulls are the most sustainable for trophy hunting – helping to

set hunting protocols where sustainable utilization models need to be followed for

income.

Identifying large tusked individuals over time – important to ensure their protection

and the continuation of a phenotypic trait (large tusks) within the population for the

benefit of tourism and trophy hunting.

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Informing conservation planning and development of protected corridors by

recording the long-term movements of elephants and understanding the influence of

past management practices.

Successful use of various mitigation strategies to protect large trees (wire-netting,

bees, rock-packing, chili pasting and other deterrent methods) – important for iconic

tree protection to ensure seedbanks and repopulation irrespective of landscape

changes.

Provision of bee gardens and bee keeping skills to the communities surrounding

Protected Areas – strengthening linkages to the Protected Areas and the benefits of

healthy ecosystem services.

Honey production as an additional income – entrepreneurial development and

educational value within the community.

Fostering the next generation of African conservationists through educational

activities including Bush School- and Wild Shots Outreach programs and

encouraging the role of women in conservation as the role models and educators of

the next generation of conservationists.

b. Project location

Includes the potential area over which collared elephants can roam known ad Great Limpopo

National Park (GLNP):

Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR) to the west where we are based (24 12

36.45 S and 31 11 22.85 E)

Kruger National Park (KNP) to the east

(23 50 13.18 S and 31 26 09.65 E)

Limpopo National Park (LNP) in Mozambique to the far east

(23 20 09.65 S and 31 55 41.80 E)

Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) to the north

(24 42.47.13 S and 31 48 22.30 E)

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c. Project objectives and activities

Objectives

1. To conduct research into how habitat resources, the need for safety and the social presence

of other elephants influence observed patterns in elephant movements.

2. To develop a spatial predictive model that defines elephant intensity of use across the

landscape.

3. To further our understanding of how elephant mortality rates differ between southern and

east African range use states in view of the escalating illegal trade in ivory.

4. To understand the movements and social importance of the remaining big tusked bulls

within the GLTP.

5. To determine how different land use practises drive perceptions on the conservation

significance of elephants

6. To evaluate the consumptive use practices in the APNR after assessing the demographic

profile of the population and their perception of risk.

7. Relate elephant occurrence to their effects on the vegetation and infrastructure where

elephants and man co-exist.

8. To assess the efficacy of experimental mitigation methods aimed at reducing the effects of

elephants in localised areas.

9. To determine the level of sensitivity between selected tree-nesting birds and elephant

impacts on the trees used as nesting sites.

Please refer to Appendix 1. for an overview of all activities

Research activities per study site

Associated Private nature reserves (APNR)

- 59 elephants collared (24 female and 35 males) since 1998 in 94 collaring operations.

- More than 2000 elephants identified since 1996.

- Development of a semi-automated elephant ID system (ongoing requirement).

- 62 large trees used by Southern Ground hornbills and 226 large trees used by vultures

and raptors as nesting sites monitored annually for elephant impact since 2008.

- 3071 large trees monitored for efficacy of wire-net protection methods as mitigation

measure since 2004.

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- 50 large trees monitored for beehive protection methods, 50 for establish wire protection

technique and 50 as control (no treatment) trees since 2015.

- 200 large trees on Jejane Private Nature Reserve which were monitored for elephant

impact before the fences came down and are now reassessed annually for elephant

impact since the fences have come down.

- 281 additional trees were added to the Big Tree Study in 2018 to test the efficacy of rock

packing and creosote (the latter a technique used by some landowners) as additional

mitigation methods.

- Bee gardens will be established in three communities surrounding the APNR in 2019

with the scale of development, dependent on funding (Appendix 2). These include bee

gardens with Mama Anna near Trichardsdal, Nourish near Orpen and Hananani Primary

School near Dixie. People living within these communities are employed in the APNR or

KNP and an added ecosystem service from pollination and honey production will further

foster positive relations with the surrounding Protected Areas.

Kruger National Park (KNP)

- Seven elephants collared on the eastern border of the KNP in 2006.

- One bull collared near Palaborwa in 2012.

Makuleke Community in northern KNP

- 12 elephants collared from 2008-2009, nine elephants recollared in 2012, two elephant

collars active in 2017.

- 111 bulls and 12 independent breeding herds identified.

- Seasonal home ranges established for each of the sexes.

- Movements in relations to water, vegetations types and infrastructure (camps and roads

as indicator of risk) established.

- Cross border movements established throughout GLTP with1 bull & 1 cow crossing over

into Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) and 4 bulls and 2 cows crossing over into

Limpopo National Park (LNP).

- Collaboration with YPO (Dex Kotze) and ReturnAfrica planned for 2019 to recollar 12

individuals. Proposal will be submitted to KNP.

Palaborwa Mining Company (PMC)

- Establishment of new HEC mitigation site at PMC.

- Collaring of six new study animals (starting in 2014).

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- Appointment of one PhD candidates to investigating elephant movements in relation to

geochemistry.

Limpopo National Park (LNP) in Mozambique

- Employment of Kristoffer Everatt to gather data on socio-ecological aspects of elephant

conservation relating to questionnaire surveys, HEC, elephant mortality records,

elephant movements in relation to fear landscapes and survival rates of large tree

nesting birds due to poisoning incidents and muthi trade.

- Successful collaring 10 elephants in LNP in collaboration with Conservation Action Trust

and STE’s Elephant Crisis Fund.

- Additional bull collared south of LNP in conjunction with Mozambique Wildlife Services

with Dr. Joao Almeida as this bull was crop-raiding in South Africa and was thought to

come from Sabi Game Park.

d. Project challenges

All project objectives were met although not completed during the reporting period. As the study

represents a long-term study, many of the objectives and goals are ongoing. However, we are

satisfied that enough actions, results, publications and communication on various aspects of the

Research Programme and each objective specifically, has taken place to successfully evaluate

the outcomes of the Programme.

With this being said, it is worth mentioning that the Programme has not been without its

challenges and these are mentioned below:

1. Securing funding remains an ongoing concern for salaries for deserving staff as well as

accommodation and fieldwork expenses. We have no official headquarters or public

presence. We have temporary rented office accommodation and with some employees

living in town whilst others are 27km away on the border of the APNR to cut down on

cost to get to the field site and back. The distance needed to travel to and from study

sites is considerable and logistics are challenging at present. We are now trying to look

at securing a base inside of the APNR to enable:

Having a fully functioning office and laboratory close to consolidated staff living

quarters.

Making allowance for accommodation for visiting researchers and funders/donors

within the APNR where elephants can be experienced first-hand.

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Building a Centre of Excellence (COE) at the gate to serve the surrounding

community, and showcase the work we are doing to a public audience and

partnering with the Black Mamba APU at this COE.

2. There have been delays with the proposed collaring of elephants in Pafuri as the KNP

first wanted their Elephant Management Plan to be approved and the revised Norms and

Standards for Managing Elephants in South Africa to be formalised before considering

additional collaring. In 2019 we will submit a proposal to collar elephants in the Makuleke

Region.

3. The one PhD candidate who is meant to work on questionnaire surveys for socio-

ecological studies, starting from PMC in South Africa across into Mozambique, has been

facing a number of challenges in Zimbabwe which has made her have to focus on her

own career as lecturer and bread winner within her family for the immediate future.

e. Meeting project goals

Project goals

1. To maintain long-term elephant tracking datasets which provide information on habitat

expansion from localised impact and the efficacy of proposed corridors.

2. To improve our knowledge of the ecological processes which promote the co-existence of

elephants, their habitat and people.

3. To develop a knowledge base of the last remaining big tusked individuals found within the

GLTP and to use these flagship individuals as educational tools to address broader

conservation concerns that not only involve elephant ecology but also the trade in ivory.

4. To contribute towards science-based management decisions.

5. To contribute towards the improved management of elephants by providing information on

the impact of elephants as drivers of ecosystem change in relation to indicator species

such as large trees (primary) and selected tree nesting birds (secondary).

6. To develop information and communication delivery systems to provide multi-scale

information to the scientific community, South African National Parks, The Associated

Private Nature Reserves, the Managers of Limpopo- and Gonarezhou National Park, the

Veterinary and Community-based organisations.

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It is clear from the results listed in section a, c and f that the project is achieving its goals and

objectives.

f. Assessment

Apart from the results listed in a, which includes study subjects per study site and c above, other

outcomes to the Program are listed in point form under the headings Education & training &

outreach and Communication & publications:

Education & training & outreach

Elephants Alive continues to widen its network of collaborations and partnerships

(please refer to section g).

We have had a productive few years in terms of scientific publications

We have also printed a manual on how to use bees to protect trees.

We developed a mobile application together with Bring the Elephant Home for data

capture by scientists and practitioners working on human-elephant-coexistence.

Michelle Henley and Jessica Wilmot participated in various Damage Causing Animal

Workshops.

Participation in a translocation workshop, hosted by the Elephant Specialist Advisory

Group of South Africa will lead to an updated translocation booklet, which we hope will

benefit many parties across Africa.

Under the directorship of Dr. Kari Morfeld, our stress-hormone laboratory was filled with

students helping extract hormones from elephant faecal samples collected in the field.

Melody Busuttil completed her MSc with Elephants Alive and passed with distinction.

Priscilla Bailly and Rodolphe Roussel both handed in detailed reports at their respective

academic institutions on their respective research at Pafuri while based at Elephants

Alive.

The Bull Elephant Social Network Project, under directorship of Dr. Hannah Mumby

brought Dr. Caitlin Black, Dr. Derek Murphy and Teresa Santos to our field site to gain a

practical understanding of our field collection methods.

Dr. Lisa Yon and PhD candidate, Fiona Sach from the University of Nottingham also

visited our study site for sample collection.

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Antoinette van de Water registered as a PhD candidate with Elephants Alive and the

University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Anka Bedetti delivered a presentation and Jessica Wilmot a poster at the Savanna

Science Network Meeting in the Kruger National Park.

Michelle Henley was invited to a workshop entitled ‘The conservation applications of

research on elephant behaviour and ecology’ organised by Dr. Hannah Mumby in

Berlin’s Wissenschaftskolleg Institute for Advanced Study.

Tammy Eggeling delivered a presentation on behalf of EA regarding our Big Tree

Mitigation strategies at the South African Wildlife Management Association and proudly

came in as the fourth best presentation amongst a very large audience.

Robin Cook, as Elephants Alive’s Big Tree Projects Manager, was awarded the best

post-graduate student award from the University of the Witwatersrand for the work he did

with Elephants Alive using bees to protect marula trees from elephant impact.

Michelle Henley submitted comments on the Elephant Management Plan of SANParks.

We launched the MegaMiles4Elephants Fundraising Campaign together with the Mike

McMillan Foundation to assist with elephant breakouts and mitigate against human-

elephant-conflict.

Elephants Alive and Wildlifevets team members participated in a triathlon to raise funds

and awareness for the campaign to help protect elephants.

The Elephants Alive team participated in the Rhino Warrior challenge in support of rhino

protection.

The Elephants Alive team hosted a very successful fundraiser event in the local town of

Hoedspruit.

Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton kindly spoke at a fundraising event organised by Adele

Vincent and Fiona Allenburg in support of the MegaMiles4Elephants campaign at CNR

Corner Café in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Riverleigh International Equestrian Centre kindly donated funds raised at their

annual equipage event to Elephants Alive.

We will extend our reach in Mozambique, other than already having study animals within

Great Limpopo National Park, after having concluded an agreement with ANAC to collar

elephants in Maputo Special Reserve in February of 2019 together with the Young

Presidents Organisation and Safari Giants.

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We extend our reach into Botswana by collaborating with Elephants for Africa and

inviting Dr. Kate Evans onto our Board while Michelle Henley will serve on her Board.

We are delighted to welcome two other new Board members as part of our team: Brian

Courtenay and Harriet Nimmo.

Save the Elephants kindly awarded a grant to Ronny Makukule to visit Save the

Elephants in Kenya as a valuable learning experience and will be supporting him over

the next two years as key member of the Elephants Alive research team.

Jessica Wilmot was chosen to complete her MSc over the next two years at the Central

European University in Hungary.

Michelle Henley and Robin Cook completed a tree identification and ecology course with

Prof. Eugene Moll.

Michelle Henley and Robin Cook hosted a Large Tree Protection Workshop for the

APNR landowners, which was well attended.

Elephants Alive collared seven additional elephants this year with the participation of the

Young Presidents Organisation and Michigan State University.

Dr. Carlos Lopes Pereira and Dr. Joao Simoes Almeida continue to offer invaluable

support when the collared elephants in Limpopo National Park, Mozambique move

outside of protected areas.

Dr. Joao Simoes Almeida collared a bull for Elephants Alive to ensure that the study

animal’s movements can be followed back into Sabie Game Reserve in Mozambique.

Elephants Alive facilitated the donation of veterinary supplies to Dr. Carlos Lopes Pereira

and Dr. Joao Simoes Almeida through Project V.E.T.S., spearheaded by Claire

Campbell, as longstanding sponsor and supporter of Elephants Alive.

Elephants Alive was approached to translocate potential problem animals from Makalali

Game Reserve and Ingwelala for release elsewhere within the APNR in an attempt to

ensure their safety.

Elephants Alive submitted a comprehensive critique of a proposed citrus development

bordering the APNR. We also commented on the Norms and Standards for Managing

Elephants in South Africa.

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Communication & publications

Scientific Papers since 2014

1. VOGEL, S.M., HENLEY, M.D., RODE, S.C., VAN DER VYVER, D., MEARES, K.F.,

SIMMONS, G. & DE BOER, W.F. 2014. Elephant (Loxodonta africana) impact on trees

used by nesting vultures and raptors in South Africa. African Journal of Ecology 52: 1-8

doi: 10.11 11/aje.121 40.

2. MWAKIWA, E., HEARNE, J.W., STIGTER, J.D., DE BOER, W.F., HENLEY, M.D.,

SLOTOW, R. , VAN LANGEVELDE, F., PEEL, M., GRANT, C.C. & PRINS, H.H.T. 2015.

Optimization of net returns from wildlife consumptive and non-consumptive uses by game

reserve management. Environmental Conservation doi:10.1017/S0376892915000296

3. COOK, R.M,, HENLEY, M.D. & PARRINI, F. 2015. Elephant movement patterns in relation

to human inhabitants in and around Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. Koedoe. 57:1-

7. doi: 10.4102/koedoe.v57i1.1298

4. DERHAM, K.S., HENLEY, M.D. & SCHULTE, B.A. 2016. Wire netting reduces African

elephant (Loxodonta africana) impact to selected trees in South Africa. Koedoe 58: 1-7.

doi: 10.4102/koedoe.v58i1.1327.

5. SELIER, J., HENLEY, M.D., PRETORIUS, Y. & GARAI, M. 2016. A Conservation

Assessment of Loxodonta africana. In: Child MF, Roxburgh L, Do Linh San E,Raimondo

D, Davies-Mostert HT ediotors, The Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Swaziland and

Lesotho. South African National Biodiversity Institute and Endangered Wildlife Trust,

South Africa.

6. BUNNEY, K., BOND, W & HENLEY, M.D. 2017. Elephantine carriers: the seed dispersal

kernel of the African savanna elephant. Biotropica. Biotropica DOI:10.1111/btp.12423

7. EDGE, A., HENLEY, M.D., DADAY, J. & SCHULTE B.A. 2017. Examining human

perception of elephants and large trees for insights into conservation of an African

savanna ecosystem. Human Dimensions of Wildlife Journal. DOI:

10.1080/10871209.2017.1298168

8. COOK, R.M., WITKOWSKI, E.T.F., HELM, C.V., HENLEY, M.D. & PARRINI, F. 2017.

Recent exposure to African elephants after a century of exclusion: Rapid accumulation of

marula tree impact and mortality, and poor regeneration. Forest Ecology and

Management: 401:107-116. DOI:10.1016/j.foreco.2017.07.006

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9. COOK, R.M., PARRINI, F., KING, L.E., WITKOWSKI, E.T.F. & HENLEY, M.D. 2018.

African honeybees as a mitigation method for elephant impact on large trees. Biological

Conservation 217: 329-336. DIO: 10.1016/j.biocon.2017.11.024

10. WRIGHT, M. G., SPENCER, C., COOK, R. M., HENLEY, M. D., NORTH, W. & MAFRA-

NETO, A. 2018. African bush elephants respond to a honeybee alarm pheromone. Current

Biology 28: R778-R780. doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.008

11. JUDITH T. WEBBER, J.T., HENLEY, M.D., PRETORIUS Y., SOMERS, M.J. &

GANDSWINDT, A. 2018. Changes in African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) faecal steroid

concentrations post-defaecation. Bothalia 48: 2. a2312:

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/abc.v48i2.2312

12. BLACK, C.E., MUMBY, H.S. & HENLEY, M.D. In review. Mining morphometrics from

survey photographs: a case study on African elephants.

13. SANTOS, T.L., FERNANDES, C., HENLEY, M.D., DAWSON, D.A. & MUMBY, H.S. In

Review. Assessing the genetic status of a savannah elephant (Loxodonta Africana)

population in the Greater Kruger Biosphere, South Africa.

14. HENLEY, M.D. & COOK, R.M. In Review. The management dilemma: removing elephants

to save large trees.

15. WALL, J., WITTEMYER, G., KLINKENBERG, B., LEMAY, V., BLAKE, S., STRINDBERG,

S., HENLEY, M.D., VOLLRATH, F. & DOUGLAS-HAMILTON, I. In Review. A Pan-African

analysis of elephant movement indicates human activity is the key factor structuring

ranging behaviour.

16. VOGEL, S.M., DE BOER, W.F., MASEKE, M., SONGHURST, A., MCCULLOCH, G.,

STRONZA, A., HENLEY, M.D. & COULSON, T. In review. Do African savannah elephants

(Loxodonta africana) eat crops because they crave micronutrients?

17. MURPHY, D., WITTEMYER, G., HENLEY, M.D. & MUMBY, H.S. In Review. Detection of

community structure in animal social networks under different sampling protocols: a

simulation study informed by male elephant (Loxodonta Africana) association data.

18. MURPHY, D., MUMBY, H.S. & HENLEY, M.D. In Review. Age differences in the temporal

stability of a male African elephant (Loxodonta africana) social network.

19. COOK, R.M. & HENLEY, M.D. In review. Complexities associated with elephant impact on

Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra in the Greater Kruger National Park.

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Popular publications

1. GARAÏ, M., PRETORIUS. Y., HENLEY, M.D., BATES, L., SELIER, J. KRUGER, J. & BLACKMORE,

A. 2016. Guidelines for a Safe Elephant Experience. Elephant Specialist Advisory Group of South

Africa Production. Brochure distributed to SANParks and other Reserves with elephants in South

Africa.

2. GARAÏ, M., PRETORIUS. Y., HENLEY, M.D., BATES, L., SELIER, J. KRUGER, J. & BLACKMORE,

A. 2017. Understanding elephants and how to safely view elephants: a guide. Elephant Specialist

Advisory Group of South Africa Production. Struik Publishers, South Africa.

3. COOK, R. M., KING, L. E. & HENLEY, M. D. 2018. Elephants, Bees & Trees - Project

Manual.

Media articles

Organisation in the spotlight: Elephants Alive! http://leadsa.co.za/articles/274112/organisation-in-

the-spotlight-elephenatd-alive

Wildcard Magazine: Inside the Science of Tracking Elephants: https://www.wildcard.co.za/inside-

science-tracking-elephants/

Elephants Alive Studying Kruger’s elephants for 20 years! http://elephantsalive.org/wp-

content/uploads/2018/05/Elephant-project-SP.pdf

A Honey-Pot Scare Saves Crops and Trees: Meet the Bees Vs. the Elephants - The Jersey

tomato press (http://thejerseytomatopress.com/stories/a-honey-pot-scare-saves-crops-and-trees-

meet-the-bees-vs-the-elephants,19233)

Africa's Largest Mammal Is Terrified of This Tiny Insect - Live Science

(https://www.livescience.com/63177-honeybee-pheromones-repel-elephants.html)

Beehives were introduced to protect Marula trees - Southerns Beekeeping Association

(http://beekeepers.co.za/beehives-introduced-protect-marula-trees/)

Bees for trees: testing a potential tool for reducing human-elephant conflict - Mongabay

(https://news.mongabay.com/wildtech/2017/12/bees-for-trees-testing-a-tool-for-reducing-human-

elephant-conflict/)

Bees protect large trees from elephant impact - Africa Geographic

(https://africageographic.com/blog/bees-protect-large-trees-elephant-impact/)

Bees to Protect Trees in Kruger, South Africa - Elephants & Bees Project

(http://elephantsandbees.com/bees-to-protect-trees-in-kruger-south-africa/)

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Bees, trees and elephants - Klaserie Chronicle

(https://www.ecochildren.co.za/resources/klaserie-chronicle/41-klaserie-chronicle-no-44-june-

2018/file)

Bees, Trees, & Elephants - Mike Kendrick Exposure (https://mikekendrick.exposure.co/bees-

trees-and-elephants)

Bees used to protect marula trees from elephants - Saturday Star

(https://www.iol.co.za/saturday-star/news/bees-used-to-protect-marula-trees-from-elephants-

11337972)

Boffins discover how to repel Kruger elephants with bee-scented socks - Sunday Times

(https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/2018-07-24-boffins-discover-how-to-repel-

kruger-elephants-with-bee-scented-socks/)

Did you know? Bee scent could repel elephants, prevent conflict with humans - Lifestyle

Magazine (https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/lifestyle/2018/07/25/did-you-know-bee-scent-could-repel-

elephants-prevent-conflict-with-humans/)

Eco-interns show how bees can protect trees from elephants - Lowvelder

(https://lowvelder.co.za/349819/eco-interns-show-how-bees-can-protect-trees-from-elephants/)

VIDEO: Elephants get buzzed for trees - Beautiful News

(https://www.beautifulnews.co.za/stories/ronnie-makukule)

Elephants, marula and honey bees - Kruger 2 Canyon

(http://www.kruger2canyon.co.za/articles/news/31909/2015-07-03/elephants-marula-and-honey-

bees)

VIDEO: Elephants told to buzz off in South Africa national park - EuroNews

(http://www.euronews.com/2016/03/07/elephants-told-to-buzz-off-in-south-africa-national-park)

Honeybee pheromones safely repel elephants, study finds - Phys.org

(https://phys.org/news/2018-07-honeybee-pheromones-safely-repel-elephants_1.html)

Honey Bee Alarm Signal Could Protect Elephants - Scientific America

(https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/honey-bee-alarm-signal-could-protect-

elephants/)

Honeybees could be key to stopping destructive elephants - Sunday Times

(https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2015-09-27-honeybees-could-be-key-to-

stopping-destructive-elephants/)

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Honey bees could be sounding the alarm that protects nature and elephants - Sunday Times

(https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-07-25-honey-bees-could-be-sounding-the-

alarm-that-protects-nature-and-elephants/)

Human-Elephant Conflict and the use of Honeybees: A South African’s Perspective in Sri Lanka -

Elephants & Bees Project (http://elephantsandbees.com/human-elephant-conflict-and-the-use-of-

honeybees-a-south-africans-perspective-in-sri-lanka/)

In South Africa, bees protect indigenous trees from elephants - TRT World

(https://www.trtworld.com/life/in-south-africa-bees-protect-indigenous-trees-from-elephants-

13585)

In South Africa, bees stop elephants from trampling trees - Fox News

(http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/12/24/in-south-africa-bees-stop-elephants-from-trampling-

trees.html)

Mammoth news: Bees help plants - Annals of Botany

(https://academic.oup.com/aob/article/121/4/iv/4935238)

Niemand wil op die slurp gesteek - Netwerk 24

(https://www.netwerk24.com/Nuus/Omgewing/niemand-wil-op-die-slurp-gesteek-word-20160206)

On the frontlines of human-elephant conflict with Robin Cook, Elephants Alive - Conservation

Careers (https://www.conservation-careers.com/conservation-jobs-careers-advice/frontlines-

human-elephant-conflict-robin-cook-elephants-alive/)

PICS: Bees stop elephants from trampling trees in SA - Traveller24

(https://www.traveller24.com/Explore/Green/pics-bees-stop-elephants-from-trampling-trees-in-sa-

20171227)

Smell of Angry Bees Scares Elephants Away From Crops - Discovery Magazine

(http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2018/07/23/smell-of-angry-bees-scares-elephants-

away-from-crop-fields/#.W2ghwdIzbIU)

The best defence is a good bee-fence - Mongabay

(https://wildtech.mongabay.com/2015/09/pushing-the-boundaries/)

The elephants and the bees - Mango Airlines (http://elephantsalive.org/wp-

content/uploads/2017/11/The-Elephants-and-the-Bees_pdfCombined.pdf)

VIDEO: Tiny bees buzz to the rescue as elephants wreak havoc - DW-TV

(https://www.dw.com/en/tiny-bees-buzz-to-the-rescue-as-elephants-wreak-havoc/a-44287843)

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Using bees to protect elephants - Daily Planet

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=130&v=6mA1Yl7LEZ4)

Using honey bees to protect one of Africa’s best-selling liqueurs - Quartz Africa

(https://qz.com/africa/1141208/using-honey-bees-to-protect-one-of-africas-best-selling-liqueurs/)

Why the Kruger Park enlisted bees to protect its trees from marauding elephants - News24

(https://www.news24.com/Green/News/watch-south-africa-the-bees-and-the-elephants-

20180622)

Wild about elephants - Bags4Goods (http://bags4good.org.za/wild-about-elephants-3)

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g. Collaborations with local organisations

Table 1: Network of NPOs, Private or State Related Institutions, Local Communities, Academic collaborating bodies and Corporates, which form part of

Elephants Alive’s extensive network. Those NPOs or Communities, which Elephants Alive (EA) financially supports, are underlined while those, which

have financially supported EA, are in italics.

Institution/organisation Support Names

NPO (21)

Logistical & financial

Arc for Africa, Bly Sky Society, Conservation Action Trust, Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit, Bring the Elephant Home, Elephants And Bees Project, Elephant Crisis Fund, Elephant Specialist and Advisory Group of South Africa, EMS Foundation, Humane Society International, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Oak Foundation, PAMS Foundation, Peace Parks Foundation, Perfect World Foundation, SATIB Conservation Trust, Save the Elephants, Two Girls and an Elephant, Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa, Wild Shots Educational Outreach and Youth for African Wildlife.

Private or State based (11)

Logistical & financial

Foskor, Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe), Great Letaba Ranch, Limpopo National Park (Mozambique), National Agency for Conservation Areas (Mozambique), Ndlopfu Game Reserve, Manyeleti Game Reserve, Palaborwa Mining Cooperation, South African National Parks, The Associated Private Nature Reserves and The Kruger National Park.

Community (4)

Sponsorship supplied Maseke-, Mashishimale, the local employed staff working within the Associated Private Nature Reserves - and the Makuleke Community

Academic (9 local)

(29 international)

Expertise/students Local: Agricultural Research Council, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Rhodes University, South African Environmental Observation Network, Tshwane University of Technology, University of Cape Town, University of Pretoria, University of South Africa and the University of the Witwatersrand.

International: Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, AgroSup Dijon, British Geological Survey, Central European University, Colorado State University, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, Edinburgh Napier University, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Hand Rearing Resource Centre, HAS University of Applied Sciences, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Kansas State University, Liverpool John Moores University, National Engineering School of Agronomy, Toulouse, Oxford University, Princeton University, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Stanford University, Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland, University of Cambridge, University of British Columbia, University of Hawaii , University of Hong Kong, University of Nottingham, University of Sussex, University of Texas, Wageningen University, Western Kentucky University and Wissenschaftkolleg Zu Berlin.

Corporate (31)

Expertise/Sponsorship/Exposure

African Wildlife Tracking, Allan Gray, Amarula, Anthony Lane Design, Ferocious Love Apparel, Bateleurs Wilderness Safaris, Camp Jabulani, Beautiful News, Imexsar SA, Intel, ISCA Technologies, Jaguar Land Rover South Africa, Khaki Fever, Kiss Me Organics, MeerendalWine Estate-BIGFEET Elephant Foundation, Relate, Return Africa, Riverleigh International Equestrian Centre, South African Breweries, Tanda Tula Safari Lodge, Toyota, Transfrontier Africa, Umlani Lodge, Wasteman Group, Wildcon Safaris and Events, Wilderness Safaris, Wildlifevets.com, Wild Spirit, Woodlands, Woolworths and Young Presidents Organisation.

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h. Equipment No equipment has been purchased for the duration of this interim reporting period with USFWS

funds.

‘If you know wilderness in the way that you know love, you would be unwilling to let it go…this is the story of our past and it will be the story of our future’

Terry Tempest Williams

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APPENDIX 1: ACTIVITIES (New envisioned activities are outlined in black)

Scie

nce

Su

rviv

al

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Conceptual model: M Henley; Design: ©Cheng-Hao Hsieh

APPENDIX 2: BEE GARDEN AS HUMAN ELEPHANT CONFLICT MITIGATION STRATEGY