About Our Research
AERU was established in 2009 to address the lack of research on semi-captive African elephants in South Africa. AERU is the first research unit dedicated to optimizing the welfare of these elephants in South Africa and beyond.
Much of our research is focused on the behaviour of the Knysna Elephant Park herd and what it can tell us about their lives and their welfare. We also collect biological, veterinary and dietary data at KEP and other facilities. Over several years, AERU has been developing a set of semi-captive elephant data which is unrivalled, as far as we know, by any other such database anywhere else in the world.
What can we do with
this database?
- Establish baseline values of behaviour, physiology and other variables, which can be compared against other elephants in similar or alternate management systems.
- Investigate long-term patterns, for example the way behaviour may change over time as animals mature.
- Build up a longitudinal record of the lives of the individual elephants we study regularly, which can then be compared to records taken on the same elephants in the present with a specific research question in mind.
- Establish, test and refine research protocols which can then be applied dynamically to new hypotheses.
Through the collection of our data, AERU can develop a type of “welfare index for elephants”, placing emphasis on balancing the welfare needs of the elephants with the tourism activities of the semi-captive facilities in the best possible way. AERU provides a platform to guide management through research, giving regular feedback and assessments to management, empowering Knysna Elephant Park to make informed ethical management decisions.
This data provides valuable scientific understanding into African elephants and unparalleled insight into individual elephants, within specific facilities. Through data collection, AERU contributes to research and management, with particular emphasis on elephant welfare and responsible tourism.
All captive elephant owners in SA are subject to regular inspections and must adhere to strict Governmental Norms and Standards. It is our vision to promote AERU data collection sessions to any elephant facility that may be interested in learning more about the animals in their care. AERU will be able to conduct research sessions at elephant facilities throughout Southern Africa, with the aim of providing baseline data pertaining to their elephants and how their animals respond to management within their own unique environments.
Regular research sessions help to provide an ongoing research-based “index of welfare” and, in the long-term identify and explain any changes from the baseline. The analysis and interpretation of these changes will help to guide management towards optimal welfare of animals and tourism activities that are responsible and sustainable.
How valuable is semi-captive animal research?
Semi-captive elephants provide us with a unique opportunity for participation in research and education programmes, often allowing for the collection of specimens and data not readily available from wild animals. The value of the KEP elephants (and others based elsewhere), from a research perspective, includes two main factors:
As semi-captive animals, a substantial level of free ranging is facilitated, showing a degree of choice in what they eat, where they move, who they socialise with and how they behave. The age, size, and sexual composition of the herd allows for insight into assessment of behaviour, socialisation, physiology and other biological factors. The habituated nature of the elephants at KEP facilitates up close observation and monitoring, allowing research initiatives impossible to carry out on elephants in the wild. This allows us to formulate a variety of research programmes and projects, tailored to examine specific aspects.
Sampling and data collection has been implemented and standardised, to allow comparisons over time. There are opportunities to expand the research programme to include other semi-captive to captive elephant institutions, which will allow us to compare a larger number of animals, in a wider variety of habitats. Data collected by AERU and its research partners will form an important part of the elephant management and education programmes. We hope that AERU can offer valuable insight into the lives of elephants and provide information that may be used to improve and upgrade the management of semi-captive to captive elephants; and promote the protection and conservation of wild elephants.
