Original Research

Role of delinquent young "orphan" male elephants in high mortality of white rhinoceros in Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa

R. Slotow, G. van Dyk
Koedoe | Vol 44, No 1 | a188 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v44i1.188 | © 2001 R. Slotow, G. van Dyk | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 01 July 2001 | Published: 01 July 2001

About the author(s)

R. Slotow, University of Natal, South Africa
G. van Dyk, Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa

Full Text:

PDF (5MB)

Abstract

We describe white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) mortality at Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa, focussing on mortality caused by African elephant (Loxodonta africana). We reconstructed records from a range of historical sources, and estimated that up to 49 rhino were killed by elephant. There was confirmed mortality in 1994 and 1996, and based on patterns, we suggest a set of rhino mortality from elephant in 1992. Both sexes and all age classes were victims. There was no significant bias to older animals, but given the rhino population structure, there was a significant bias towards males in adult deaths. The culprits were identified as young male elephants that entered musth about 10 years younger than expected, and maintained musth for a full term at first occurrence. We attributed this to the lack of a mature bull hierarchy in the park, because these elephants were the product of translocation of young animals (<10 years old) remaining from culls in Kruger National Park. We emphasise the need for accurate monitoring and record keeping, and a focus on individual identification of key species in small reserves.

Keywords

Conservation Ecology, Ceratotherium simum, Loxodonta africana, rhinoceros, small population management.

Metrics

Total abstract views: 17240
Total article views: 11030

 

Crossref Citations

1. The Social and Ecological Integration of Captive-Raised Adolescent Male African Elephants (Loxodonta africana) into a Wild Population
Kate Evans, Randall Moore, Stephen Harris, Brock Fenton
PLoS ONE  vol: 8  issue: 2  first page: e55933  year: 2013  
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055933

2. Elephant Social Systems: What Do We Know and How Have Molecular Tools Helped?
T. K. Athira, T. N. C. Vidya
Journal of the Indian Institute of Science  vol: 101  issue: 2  first page: 257  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1007/s41745-021-00226-4

3. Sustainability of elephant hunting across international borders in southern Africa: A case study of the greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area
Sarah‐Anne Jeanetta Selier, Bruce R. Page, Abi Tamim Vanak, Rob Slotow
The Journal of Wildlife Management  vol: 78  issue: 1  first page: 122  year: 2014  
doi: 10.1002/jwmg.641

4. Adolescence in male African elephants, Loxodonta africana, and the importance of sociality
Kate E. Evans, Stephen Harris
Animal Behaviour  vol: 76  issue: 3  first page: 779  year: 2008  
doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.03.019

5. Social Dynamics of a Newly Integrated Bachelor Group of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus): Welfare implications
Amy L. Schreier, Taylor S. Readyhough, Anneke Moresco, Maura Davis, Sharon Joseph
Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science  vol: 26  issue: 2  first page: 229  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1080/10888705.2021.1908141

6. Assessing translocation outcome: Comparing behavioral and physiological aspects of translocated and resident African elephants (Loxodonta africana)
Noa Pinter-Wollman, Lynne A. Isbell, Lynette A. Hart
Biological Conservation  vol: 142  issue: 5  first page: 1116  year: 2009  
doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2009.01.027

7. Facilitating the social behaviour of bull elephants in zoos
M. Hartley, A. Wood, L. Yon
International Zoo Yearbook  vol: 53  issue: 1  first page: 62  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1111/izy.12245

8. Extinction of North AmericanCuvieronius(Mammalia: Proboscidea: Gomphotheriidae) driven by dietary resource competition with sympatric mammoths and mastodons
Gregory James Smith, Larisa R. G. DeSantis
Paleobiology  vol: 46  issue: 1  first page: 41  year: 2020  
doi: 10.1017/pab.2020.7

9. Do elephants really never forget? What we know about elephant memory and a call for further investigation
Sydney F. Hope, Kaitlyn R. Willgohs, Sangpa Dittakul, Joshua M. Plotnik
Learning & Behavior  vol: 53  issue: 1  first page: 44  year: 2025  
doi: 10.3758/s13420-024-00655-y

10. Forest elephants: fission–fusion and social arenas
Vicki Fishlock, Phyllis C. Lee
Animal Behaviour  vol: 85  issue: 2  first page: 357  year: 2013  
doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.11.004

11. Histological study of white rhinoceros integument
Jeffrey H. Plochocki, Saul Ruiz, José R. Rodriguez-Sosa, Margaret I. Hall, Andrzej T Slominski
PLOS ONE  vol: 12  issue: 4  first page: e0176327  year: 2017  
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176327

12. Comparative Cognitive Science and Convergent Evolution: Humans and Elephants
Don Ross
Cultural Science  vol: 14  issue: 1  first page: 77  year: 2022  
doi: 10.2478/csj-2022-0011

13. The impact of male contraception on dominance hierarchy and herd association patterns of African elephants ( Loxodonta africana ) in a fenced game reserve
L.S. Doughty, K. Slater, H. Zitzer, Tomos Avent, S. Thompson
Global Ecology and Conservation  vol: 2  first page: 88  year: 2014  
doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2014.08.004

14. Estimating population parameters of African elephants: a photographic mark-recapture application in a South African protected area
Stephen C. Y. Chan, Scott Y. S. Chui, Yolanda Pretorius, Leszek Karczmarski
Mammalian Biology  vol: 102  issue: 4  first page: 1231  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1007/s42991-022-00334-3

15. Movement patterns of two reintegrated African elephant (Loxodonta africana) herds: transitioning from captivity to free-living
Tenisha Roos, Andrew Purdon, Victoria Boult, Audrey Delsink, Brett Mitchell, Petrus Johannes Kilian
PeerJ  vol: 12  first page: e17535  year: 2024  
doi: 10.7717/peerj.17535

16. Modelling wildebeest population dynamics: implications of predation and harvesting in a closed system
CRAIG J. TAMBLING, JOHAN T. DU TOIT
Journal of Applied Ecology  vol: 42  issue: 3  first page: 431  year: 2005  
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01039.x

17. Interspecific interference competition at the resource patch scale: do large herbivores spatially avoid elephants while accessing water?
Nicolas Ferry, Stéphane Dray, Hervé Fritz, Marion Valeix, Ben Sheldon
Journal of Animal Ecology  vol: 85  issue: 6  first page: 1574  year: 2016  
doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.12582

18. Reduced older male presence linked to increased rates of aggression to non-conspecific targets in male elephants
Connie R. B. Allen, Darren P. Croft, Lauren J. N. Brent
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences  vol: 288  issue: 1965  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1374

19. Elephants as an animal model for self-domestication
Limor Raviv, Sarah L. Jacobson, Joshua M. Plotnik, Jacob Bowman, Vincent Lynch, Antonio Benítez-Burraco
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences  vol: 120  issue: 15  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1073/pnas.2208607120

20. The response of an elephant population to conservation area expansion: Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa
Heleen C. Druce, Kevin Pretorius, Rob Slotow
Biological Conservation  vol: 141  issue: 12  first page: 3127  year: 2008  
doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2008.09.024

21. Ubuntu in Elephant Communities
BIRTE WRAGE, DENNIS PAPADOPOULOS, JUDITH BENZ-SCHWARZBURG
Journal of the American Philosophical Association  vol: 10  issue: 4  first page: 814  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1017/apa.2023.24

22. Pathological complexity and African elephant consciousness
Don Ross
Adaptive Behavior  vol: 34  issue: 1  first page: 45  year: 2026  
doi: 10.1177/10597123251340889

23. The role of foraging behaviour in the sexual segregation of the African elephant
Graeme Shannon, Bruce R. Page, Kevin J. Duffy, Rob Slotow
Oecologia  vol: 150  issue: 2  first page: 344  year: 2006  
doi: 10.1007/s00442-006-0521-1

24. Risk and Ethical Concerns of Hunting Male Elephant: Behavioural and Physiological Assays of the Remaining Elephants
Tarryne Burke, Bruce Page, Gus Van Dyk, Josh Millspaugh, Rob Slotow, Peter M. Bennett
PLoS ONE  vol: 3  issue: 6  first page: e2417  year: 2008  
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002417

25. Model highlights likely long‐term influences of mesobrowsers versus those of elephants on woodland dynamics
Christopher A. J. O'Kane, Kevin J. Duffy, Bruce R. Page, David W. Macdonald
African Journal of Ecology  vol: 52  issue: 2  first page: 192  year: 2014  
doi: 10.1111/aje.12103

26. Managing Local Overabundance of Elephants Through the Supply of Game Meat: The Case of Savé Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe
Sébastien Le Bel, Fiona Stansfield, Mike La Grange, Russell Taylor
South African Journal of Wildlife Research  vol: 43  issue: 2  first page: 103  year: 2013  
doi: 10.3957/056.043.0201

27. How Elephants are Opening Doors: Developmental Neuroethology, Attachment and Social Context
G. A. Bradshaw, Allan N. Schore
Ethology  vol: 113  issue: 5  first page: 426  year: 2007  
doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01333.x

28. Reconstructing Grazer Assemblages for Protected Area Restoration
Jan A. Venter, Herbert H. T. Prins, David A. Balfour, Rob Slotow, Matt Hayward
PLoS ONE  vol: 9  issue: 3  first page: e90900  year: 2014  
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090900

29. Vasectomies of male African elephants as a population management tool: A case study
Heike R. Zitzer, Victoria L. Boult
Bothalia  vol: 48  issue: 1  year: 2018  
doi: 10.4102/abc.v48i2.2313

30. Social Disruption Impairs Predatory Threat Assessment in African Elephants
Graeme Shannon, Line S. Cordes, Rob Slotow, Cynthia Moss, Karen McComb
Animals  vol: 12  issue: 4  first page: 495  year: 2022  
doi: 10.3390/ani12040495

31. Managing dingoes on Fraser Island: culling, conflict, and an alternative
Adam J. O’Neill, Kylie M. Cairns, Gisela Kaplan, Ernest Healy
Pacific Conservation Biology  vol: 23  issue: 1  first page: 4  year: 2017  
doi: 10.1071/PC16026

32. Acknowledging the Relevance of Elephant Sensory Perception to Human–Elephant Conflict Mitigation
Robbie Ball, Sarah L. Jacobson, Matthew S. Rudolph, Miranda Trapani, Joshua M. Plotnik
Animals  vol: 12  issue: 8  first page: 1018  year: 2022  
doi: 10.3390/ani12081018

33. Elephant resource-use traditions
Victoria Fishlock, Christine Caldwell, Phyllis C. Lee
Animal Cognition  vol: 19  issue: 2  first page: 429  year: 2016  
doi: 10.1007/s10071-015-0921-x

34. Elephants for Africa: male Savannah elephant Loxodonta africana sociality, the Makgadikgadi and resource competition
K. E. Evans
International Zoo Yearbook  vol: 53  issue: 1  first page: 200  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1111/izy.12238

35. Stress Response of Working African Elephants to Transportation and Safari Adventures
JOSHUA J. MILLSPAUGH, TARRYNE BURKE, GUS VAN DYK, ROB SLOTOW, BRIAN E. WASHBURN, RAMI J. WOODS
The Journal of Wildlife Management  vol: 71  issue: 4  first page: 1257  year: 2007  
doi: 10.2193/2006-015

36. Mesoscale movement and recursion behaviors of Namibian black rhinos
Dana Paige Seidel, Wayne L. Linklater, Werner Kilian, Pierre du Preez, Wayne M. Getz
Movement Ecology  vol: 7  issue: 1  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1186/s40462-019-0176-2

37. Elephants in the village: Causes and consequences of property damage in Asia and Africa
Eva M. Gross, Bibhuti P. Lahkar, Naresh Subedi, Vincent R. Nyirenda, Eva Klebelsberg, Oliver Jakoby
Conservation Science and Practice  vol: 3  issue: 2  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1111/csp2.343

38. Evaluation of Demographics and Social Life Events of Asian (Elephas maximus) and African Elephants (Loxodonta africana) in North American Zoos
Natalia A. Prado-Oviedo, Mary K. Bonaparte-Saller, Elizabeth J. Malloy, Cheryl L. Meehan, Joy A. Mench, Kathy Carlstead, Janine L. Brown, Sadie Jane Ryan
PLOS ONE  vol: 11  issue: 7  first page: e0154750  year: 2016  
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154750

39. Insights into artificial waterhole utilization patterns by elephants and rhinos: Lessons from a South African Nature Reserve
Eilidh Smith, Leslie Robert Brown, Alan Sean Barrett, Zhigang Jiang
PLOS ONE  vol: 19  issue: 10  first page: e0312158  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312158

40. Elephants facilitate impact of large predators on small ungulate prey species
Craig J. Tambling, Liaan Minnie, John Adendorff, Graham I.H. Kerley
Basic and Applied Ecology  vol: 14  issue: 8  first page: 694  year: 2013  
doi: 10.1016/j.baae.2013.09.010

41. Reframing Prehistoric Human-Proboscidean Interactions: on the Use and Implications of Ethnohistoric Records for Understanding the Productivity of Hunting Megaherbivores
Karen D. Lupo, Dave N. Schmitt
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory  vol: 31  issue: 2  first page: 369  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1007/s10816-023-09607-8

42. Protecting and connecting landscapes stabilizes populations of the Endangered savannah elephant
Ryan M. Huang, Celesté Maré, Robert A. R. Guldemond, Stuart L. Pimm, Rudi J. van Aarde
Science Advances  vol: 10  issue: 1  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adk2896