Elephant Conservation in Pilanesberg

A visit to the Pilanesberg is a memorable experience, especially if one gets to see our wonderful elephants. Although we occasionally have the odd naughty boy, overall these elephants are well behaved and provide great sightings, in particular the breeding herds with their fun loving babies, or the bulls playing in the water and mud.

Whilst it is great to see these majestic animals, they unfortunately can eventually have a negative impact on the park as their numbers grow beyond the ability of the land to support them. This in turn affects other animals and the overall biodiversity of the Park and its landscapes.

The lethal removal of elephants through culling is a situation that the Park would like to avoid if at all possible and, with the advances in contraception, the Park is looking at this option to stabilise the Pilanesberg elephant population. This is unfortunately quite an expensive operation as a helicopter is needed to facilitate the administration the medication, and must be done every year for it to be effective in bringing down the growth rate.

The PWT will be supporting this project in the interests of the elephants, and the home they call Pilanesberg. The PWT also supports elephant conservation by funding vets, choppers, and ground crew for elephants that are injured (e.g. the elephant who was burnt during the wildfires) or negatively affected by human activities (e.g. the elephant bull who got a tyre stuck on his foot).

For more information on this project and how the PWT is involved in supporting the management of these giant creatures, please email me at pdell@nwpb.org.za.

To donate to the conservation of the Pilanesberg Elephants, please click on the Donate Button below.