NZ technology helps track elephants across South Africa

Satellite technology pioneered in New Zealand to track native falcons has been adapted to map the wanderings and diet of elephants on the border of South Africa and Mozambique.

Massey University environmental economist John Holland, in a joint project between the university and South Africa National Parks, "tagged" an elephant in the Kruger National Park last month for satellite tracking, and six others have been tagged in neighbouring Mozambique.

The information will be used to develop management plans for the new Transfrontier Park being developed between South Africa and Mozambique.

Dr Holland and another Massey academic, Rob Murray, pioneered the use of satellite technology and global information systems to track native falcons in the Central North Island.

Now that technology is helping to track the movements and eating habits of some of the 11,600 elephants at Kruger.

Dr Holland has just returned from South Africa where he and his team, doctoral student Abigail Allan, and Mat Holland from Palmerston North Boys High, helped to tranquillise and tag a female elephant with a solar-powered transmitter on a 3m-long collar.

In comparison, the transmitters used on falcons here are tiny and weigh only 15g.

The transmitter attached to the elephant is now sending information to a satellite in a geostationary orbit some 36,000km above the Earth.

From there it is passed on to Dr Holland's computer in Palmerston North.

Aligning the satellite co-ordinates with computerised topographical and vegetation maps, and climate information, creates a detailed picture of where the 24-year-old elephant and her herd are at any one time.

It also shows the extent to which they stick to their "home" range, and how weather affects the animals.

* The Massey/South Africa National Parks project aims to develop a better understanding of the habits of the elephants because the 11,600-strong herd inhabiting Kruger is pushing the park beyond its carrying capacity, and jeopardising the viability of other species.

"Information we are gathering will make a significant contribution to the development of management plans for the park," Dr John Holland said.

"The park has never carried so many elephants ... what about the other species that might be in danger because of the large number of elephants in the park?"

- NZPA