Since December 2005, Dr. Henrik Rasmussen has been tracking elephants for Save the Elephants in a population around Mt Marsabit in northern Kenya. The Marsabit GPS tracking project is carried out in collaboration with KWS and researcher Shadrack Ngene, who is studying for his PhD at ITC University, Netherlands. It is supported by the People & Parks Support, an initiative of the late Paul van Vlissingen. This project has provided a wealth of information over the last year for KWS to improve elephant conservation and for wise land use planning and management.

We established that the elephants only spend limited time in the forest itself, venturing into the forest for drinking but foraging on the forests’ edge. Likewise, we have identified core routes between the forest and the surrounding areas, especially on the western side of the mountain. In time these routes will hopefully be identified on the eastern side as well. Keeping these routes open for movement between the vital water sources in the forest and foraging areas along the edge is essential.

A surprising result is the seemingly limited dry season range of individuals, who cross very little between the western and eastern side. Considering that the mountain is only about 15 x 10 km it was initially believed that the individual elephants would range over the entire area. On the contrary, none of the tracked elephants seem to use the whole mountain. This is especially true for the females, each only utilizing about a quarter of the mountain.

The tracking data from Mrs. Kamau and the aerial observation of elephants and tracks around Bule Marmar indicate that the range regularly used by the Marsabit elephants extends much further away from the mountain than previously believed, reaching up to 100 km north east of Marsabit.

Likewise, the amazing streak by the bull Shadrack to the Mathews Range has clearly shown that the Marsabit elephants are not an isolated population but must be viewed as the northernmost part of the Laikipia/Samburu population and no genetics isolates. Much analysis still needs to be done. In particular, data on crop raiding activities needs to be further scrutinized, as do elephant movements in relation to slope, and in reaction to human structures like fences, houses and livestock.