2006-10-19 : MORE ELEPHANTS

By KIM HELFRICH

ELEPHANT numbers in South Africa's most northerly national park Mapungubwe, while nowhere near the almost 13 000 in Kruger, are climbing steadily.

This is ascribed to movement of the continent's largest land mammal from neighbouring Botswana. An aerial game survey conducted this month counted 114 elephants as against 65 last year.

The majority of elephants are in the western section of the park where they move in from the privately-owned Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana's Tuli Block.

SANParks' large herbivore scientists believe this number can rise quickly as large numbers of elephant in the Limpopo riverbed move into Mapungubwe.

This is a seasonal migration; the elephants usually return to Botswana after summer rains.

The aerial census also revealed 125 gemsbok, which is significant because Mapungubwe is the most eastern area of this species' †distribution.

Other species found in good numbers are impala, blue wildebeest, eland, Burchell's zebra, kudu, waterbuck, giraffe, red hartebeest and tsessebe.

- kimh@citizen.co.za