Research Studies & Collaborations
Ongoing AERU projects collect information on the elephants based at KEP and sister facilities. AERU researchers and volunteers collect this data, not only to establish baseline values for examined elephants, but through collaborating with students from all over the world, innovating new projects and aiding in achieving a high standard of practical research experience towards students reaching their academic objectives while bolstering a broad scale understanding of African elephants.
Resting pattern and preferences when lying down at night in a semi-captive population of African elephants
Maud Bonato, Clare Padfield, Becka Prangnell, Debbie Young
The effect of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on self-directed behaviour, activity budgets, movement patterns, and spatial use in semi-captive African elephants (Loxodonta africana)
Primrose Manning, Elisabeth Dawson, Christina Tholander, Maud Bonato
Can stress and anxiety be assessed in African elephants (Loxodonta africana) using self-directed behaviour?
Primrose Manning, Lindsey Hauff, Clare Padfield, Lisa Olivier, Andre Ganswindt, Debbie Young
Contagious yawning in African elephants (Loxodonta Africana): Responses to other elephants and familiar humans
Zoe T. Rossman, Clare Padfield, Debbie Young, Benjamin L. Hart, Lynette Hart
The correlations between feacal cortisol concentrations and self-directed behaviours in African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana)
-(2023) Ambre Fitoussi, 3rd year Toulouse National Veterinary School, France
Read by following this link:
Advanced cognitive abilities in elephants? – does the African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) show cognitive flexibility?
– (2022 – 2023) Laura Peoples, Masters thesis, University of Stockholm, Sweden
Read by following this link:
Exploring the effects of music complexity on the behaviours of a semi-captive population of African elephants (Loxodonta africana)
(2022) Deborah Pascoe, Bachelor of Science, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Read by following this link:
Evaluating the Welfare of a Semi-captive Population of African Elephants (Loxodonta africana) Using Self-Directed Behaviours and Hair Cortisol
-(2021) Jodie Brogan, MRes Ecology and Environmental Biology, University of Glasgow, Scotland
Read by following this link:
Assessing the Welfare of Semi-captive African Elephants (Loxodonta africana) Using Self-Directed Behaviours and Levels of Faecal Glucocorticoid Metabolite Concentrations
-(2021) Isobel Flores, MSc, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Read by following this link:
Understanding the nocturnal behaviour of a herd of semi-captive African elephants (Loxodonta Africana)
– (2021) Dean Jenkins, BSc Conservation Ecology, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Read by following this link:
Social bonds and interactions of African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) during feeding tours
-(2021) Ester Boot, BSc Conservation Ecology, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Read by following this link:
The effect of elephant rides and walks on the number of self-directed behaviours in African Elephants
-(2018-2019) Laura Schwilp, Undergraduate project, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
Read by following this link:
Read online
Night-time, Daytime: Is stereotypic behaviour in African elephants related to levels of tourist interaction?
~ (2013 – 2019) Clare Padfield – Masters thesis, University of Exeter, UK. Follow-up observations conducted as undergraduate project in 2015 by Katharine Ommanney, BSc Wildlife Management, Delaware State University, USA. Preparing for publication
Is self-directed behaviour in African elephants related to levels of tourist interaction? / Proximate correlates of captive African elephant self-directed behaviours during tourist interactions
~ (2015 – 2019) Hoi-Lam Jim (2015) / Lindsey Hauff (2016) – Masters theses, University of Exeter, UK. Publication anticipated.
Elephants: Up Close and Personal
~ (2017 – 2019) Ellen Stewart – Book about elephants, researched at KEP and being written in collaboration with AERU.
Book available for purchase on the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Elephants-Personal-Ellen-Greene-Stewart/dp/147668779X
~ (2018) Zoë Rossman. Article about the Elephant-Initiated Interactions study led by Zoë.
Read article online
Salivary cortisol levels and self-directed behaviours in African elephants
~ (2017) Megan Evans – Master’s thesis, University of Exeter, UK
How African elephant behaviour differs when listening to different moods of music
~ (2017) Hannah Hurt – BSc research project, Bishop Burton College, UK
When yawning occurs in elephants
~ (2015 – 2017) Zoë Rossman, Benjamin Hart, Brian Greco, Debbie Young, Clare Padfield, Lisa Weidner, Jennifer Gates & Lynette Hart – Collaboration with the University of California: Davis. Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, section Animal Behavior and Welfare (2017). Read online
Breaking a fence-breaking habit: maintaining the fences that reduce human-elephant conflict
~ (2017) Sue Palminteri – Mongabay-Wildtech. Article about ‘tusk braces’ to prevent breaking of electric fences, based on interviews at KEP. Read article online
Elephant-initiated interactions with humans: individual differences and specific preferences in captive African elephants
~ (2015 – 2017) Zoë Rossman, Clare Padfield, Debbie Young & Lynette Hart – 2015 student project, later collaboration with the University of California: Davis. Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, section Veterinary Humanities and Social Sciences 4:60 (2017).
Read online
Information content and acoustic structure of male African elephant social rumbles
~ (2015 – 2017) Angela Stoeger-Horwath & Anton Baotic – University of Vienna, Department of Cognitive Biology. AERU enabled and assisted with data collection on KEP elephants. Published in Scientific Reports 6 (2017).
Read online
Effects of GnRH vaccination in wild and captive African Elephant bulls on reproductive organs and semen quality
~ (2011 – 2017) Imke Lueders, Debbie Young, Liana Maree, Gerhard van der Horst, Ilse Luther, Stephan Botha, Brendan Tindall, Geoffrey Fosgate, Andre Ganswindt & Henk Bertschinger – Multi-facility collaboration. Published in PLoS One 12:9 (2017). Read online
Standing sedation in captive African elephants
~ (2013 – 2016) I. Lüders, B. Tindall, Debbie Young, G. van der Horst, S. Botha, I. Luther, L. Maree & H.J. Bertschinger – Multi-facility collaboration. Published in The Veterinary Journal 209 (2016). Read online
Effects of life stage on daily social patterns of captive African elephants
~ (2016) Alison Jeffrey. Undergraduate research project, University of New Hampshire, USA. See the poster
Does auditory stimulation in the form of classical music and recorded sounds influence stereotypical and resting behaviour in African elephants?
~ (2015) Brooke Reilly – Master’s thesis, University of Queensland, Australia
How fluctuating levels of tourist interactions affect the sleeping behaviours of African elephants
~ (2016) Becka Prangnell – Master’s thesis, University of Exeter, UK. Read the abstract
The short- and medium-term effect of tourist presence and density on the affiliative behaviours of African elephants
~ (2015) Rebecca Moss – Master’s thesis, University of Exeter, UK
Long-term administration of haloperidol in an African elephant, supporting the therapy of self-destructive stereotypic behaviour
~ (2015) Endre Papp & László Garamvölgyi – Nyíregyházi Állatpark Nonprofit Kft. (SostoZoo), Hungary.
Read the abstract
Gender dependent differences in social context vocalizations in captive African elephants
~ (2014) Lisa Weidner – Master’s thesis, University of Vienna
Welfare at night: a new management solution to increase the welfare of captive African elephants
~ (2014) Simon Hendry, Master’s thesis, University of Exeter, UK
~ (2014) Cecelia Engvall – Student project, Uppsala University, Sweden
Effects of enclosure size and social access on species-typical behaviour in African elephants
~ (2014) Sarah Grayson – Master’s thesis, University of Exeter, UK
The welfare of African elephants in relation to modern-day tourist practices
~ (2013) Petra Boelhouwers – Honours thesis, University of Exeter, UK
Social interactions and play behaviour of juvenile African elephants in captivity
~ (2013) Lisa Weidner – F1 internship report, University of Wuerzburg, Germany
The use of cognitive bias technique to investigate emotional states in African elephants
~ (2013) Lenka Feilhauerova – Master’s thesis, University of Exeter, UK
The effectiveness of intrinsic enrichments in reducing stereotypic behaviour in African elephants
~ (2013) Sophie Johnson – Master’s thesis, University of Exeter, UK
Free versus protected contact management: The influence of two different management techniques on the behaviour of two semi-captive African bull elephants
~ (2013) Mieke de Kreij – Student project, University of Applied Sciences, Van Hall Larenstein, Netherlands
Behavioural changes in juvenile elephants – the influence of age, environment and tourism
~ (2013) Alex Sancho – Master’s thesis, University of Barcelona, Spain
The allometry of African elephant ears
~ (2012) Joseph Tomkins – University of Western Australia
~ (2012) Stephan Zander – University of Potsdam, Germany
How does the African elephant influence plant diversity at Knysna Elephant Park?
~ (2012) Kathrin Schmitt & Johanna Mettler – Master’s thesis, Munich University of Technology, Germany
Controlled versus free-range – the influence of tourism activities on the behaviour of elephants at Knysna Elephant Park
~ (2012) Lucia Silva – Student project, University of Cordoba, Spain
Determining systemic arterial pressure in semi-wild African elephants using a Cardell Multi-parameter monitor
~ (2011) Whitney Phipps, Carissa Wood, Kirk Suedmeyer & Deborah Fine – Student project, University of Missouri, College of Veterinary Medicine
The role of tourism as a potential stressor to a captive population of African elephants, using specific behavioural interactions and faecal glucocorticoid metabolites
~ (2011) Kelly Mealor – Honours thesis, Dept of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch
Herd Activity:
Herd Activity project meticulously records the behavior of our resident herd of elephants and tourist concentrations over an 8-hour daytime period, providing valuable insights into their interactions and activities.
Nearest Neighbour:
Investigating social structure, Nearest Neighbour focuses on the proximity and interactions within our resident herd. This project sheds light on the social dynamics and relationships among individual elephants.
Music and Food Enrichment:
Through evening observations, the Music and Food Enrichment project examines the diverse reactions of elephants to various enrichments, including music and food stimuli. This study enhances our understanding of how these enrichments contribute to their overall well-being.
Sleep Project:
During an all-night observation shift, our Sleep Project comprehensively examines the elephants’ general behaviour, stress-related actions, and sleeping patterns. This in-depth study provides crucial insights into their nocturnal activities and overall welfare.
