Demographic Status Of The Meru Elephant Population. (2003)

406 elephant were encountered on the ground during a one year (Sept 2001-Sept 2002) study focused on identifying individuals and studying the population dynamics of elephant in Meru National Park. (This number did not include 17 animals recently transferred from Sweetwaters and another 22 seen from the air only) The population exhibited a seasonal migration pattern to areas north and northwest of the Park which may put some animals as risk to due to the general insecurity of the area. The demographic data collected suggest the population remained static in the early 1990s but experienced a high rate of growth in the last few years. This increase since the late 1990s was attributed to: translocations of over 70 elephant into the Park, high calf recruitment (average 5%) since 1997, and low adult mortality compared with that of the previous decade.