MILLICENT HUNGWE
Eight African elephants in Zimbabwe’s iconic Hwange National Park have just been fitted with GPS satellite collars, to be able to monitor their movement in order to reduce human-elephant conflicts.
This was done after accidents were recorded with elephants in national park.
Over an intense 10-day operation, Zimparks rangers tracked, immobilized, and safely fitted the elephants with EarthRanger technology.
According to ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo, “it is an ongoing process, not all elephants are going to be fitted with the GPS, but only one per herd.”
He went on to say, “the oldest female elephant in a herd is called the matriarch, she is the leader of the family unit and is responsible for keeping the herd together and ensuring its survival.
“The herd walks in a line behind her, when she stops to rest, eat, or drink, the herd stops too.
“The matriarch typically knows the best foraging areas, water sources, and migration routes, so in order to see their whereabouts, one has only to be monitored.”
The elephants will be monitored 24/7 as they roam Hwange and the surrounding communities.
The real-time data collected will help International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and ZimParks reduce human-elephant conflict across the Hwange-Matetsi-Zambezi landscape.
It has been confirmed that since early 2024, 16 male and female elephants have been collared as part of IFAW’s efforts.
