Elephants Alive, elephant shepherd Handry Mathebula, shares how he keeps future-big-tusker Tussle out of trouble and danger.
Southern Africa (03 December 2024) – An international scientific report published this month has shown a dramatic decline in the African elephant population. Using 53 years of population survey data, a Colorado State University team of scientists working with experts from the University of Washington, Nelson Mandela Bay University, and WWF Namibia, found that savanna elephant population numbers have fallen by an average of 70% in Africa. The declines, however, are not uniform across the continent, with some populations in war-torn North African countries completely decimated, and others in countries like Botswana, where they are protected, remaining stable and healthy.
The worrying fall in this majestic species is largely attributed to loss of habitat, and human-elephant conflict. As human populations grow, encroaching on grazing and ancient migration routes for the herds, so the danger these animals face from farmers, villagers and poachers escalates. Ivory and elephant meat remain in high demand on the black market.
Elephants Alive, a non-profit organisation, has spent more than 25 years focused on ensuring the survival of elephants and their habitats, and promoting the harmonious co-existence of elephants and people. Never has this mission been as critical as it is today.
A New Approach
Elephants Alive has established an initiative based on rigorous research that not only protects these animals but fosters coexistence with local communities. Both scientifically sound and beautifully simple, it’s called the Elephant Shepherd programme, aptly christened by colleagues in Mozambique (the Mozambique Wildlife Alliance).
Armed with the necessary skills and coercion techniques, dedicated shepherds are able to guide elephants away from agricultural lands, properties, camps, and small-scale farmers, thereby mitigating the risk of conflict, protecting crops, infrastructure, and lives.
These Elephant Shepherd Units are instrumental in reducing destruction while ensuring the safety of elephants and local communities alike. An Elephant Shepherd Unit functions as a rapid response unit. They are trained to understand elephant behaviour and take preventative action to ensure human safety and the protection of infrastructure (fence, water tanks and pipes) and assets (food crops). They do so by using non-lethal scare tactics to keep elephants out of no-go zones.
Their toolkits consist of an array of elephant olfactory-, sensory-, visual- and noise aversion equipment, many of which have a capsicum origin. These they have to randomise to maintain the element of surprise as elephants are smart and can easily become habituated to any one mitigation tool.
The Necessity of the Shepherds
While Big Tuskers are protected in the Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR) on the border of the Kruger National Park and close to Elephants Alive’s headquarters, their security is never guaranteed outside of protected areas.
Within South Africa, without the intervention of shepherds, the likelihood of elephants being labelled as damage-causing animals increases dramatically. These elephant shepherd units monitor elephants and act swiftly when they approach high-risk areas where people’s livelihoods or infrastructure may be at risk.
Equipped with advanced elephant tracking devices, mitigation tools and effective modes of transport, these teams are able to respond quickly to potential conflict. This proactive approach not only saves elephants but also secures the livelihoods of small-scale farmers, local residents, and private camps.
Beyond Conflict Prevention: A Community-Based Approach
The Shepherds do more than just prevent conflicts. They serve as ambassadors of conservation, sharing their knowledge of elephant behaviour with local people. By educating communities on how to live harmoniously with elephants, they help shift perceptions and foster a culture of coexistence.
Proven Success and Future Expansion
The Elephant Shepherd Programme has already proven its effectiveness in South Africa and Mozambique. Over the past 1.5 years, peer-reviewed research has shown that human-wildlife conflict was reduced by 79% in a hotspot site in Mozambique, with a single Shepherd Unit deployed. Within South Africa, the Shepherd Units have achieved a 90% success rate in conflict prevention.
Building on this success, Elephants Alive is now planning to expand the program wherever conflict escalates and implement the resources to address it. Based on current results, scientists predict the prevention of up to 600 human-elephant conflict incidents in the next two years, safeguarding many of elephants, human infrastructure, and local residents in rural African communities.
A Shepherd’s Work: It’s a Calling
Since the beginning of time, a shepherd has been one who is never isolated from his flock. He spends time with his sheep. The sheep know his voice, and he takes the time to care for and protect them. It is the same in the case of the devoted Elephant Shepherds.
In the 18 months Handry Mathebula has worked as an Elephant Shepherd, he’s covered many miles, spent several nights in the wild with his charges, and prevented countless episodes of human-elephant conflict using his training in noise aversion techniques, as well as mbulas (metal lantern designs that are designed to contain smouldering chilli infused elephant dung) to safely steer the animals away from fences, camps and no-go zones.
Married with ten children back at home and only able to visit them every three months, Handry considers the elephants family too. “Sometimes when I tell Tussle, don’t go there, boy, come now, he will follow me. But if there are too many people around, he can get irritated and naughty”, he says. He has so many stories to tell, knows the elephants he works with so well, and talks about them proudly as if they were his children.
Tussle – the future Super Tusker
One of the elephants under Handry’s watch is an elephant named Tussle. He is a young elephant (around 35 years old) and is approaching his sexual prime. If protected, Tussle will be a super tusker one day, of which very few remain in all of Africa. But the young bull is mischievous; he breaks into camps to access green foliage and the micro minerals he needs for his exceptional tusk growth. For this reason, the shepherds monitor him closely in the APNR and keep him out of camps and away from trouble.
Join Elephants Alive in Expanding the Shepherd Programme
You can play a big role in protecting Tussle and other elephants like him, by helping expand the Elephant Shepherd programme. Your support will make a real difference in protecting Southern Africa’s elephants, including the iconic Big Tuskers, while fostering harmony with local communities. Support this initiative by donating through Global Giving and help ensure a safer, more sustainable future for elephants and people alike.
To Donate click here: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/elephants-alive-shepherd-program/
About Elephants Alive
Elephants Alive is a leading conservation NGO based in South Africa, committed to protecting elephants and their habitats through research-driven initiatives. Our work focuses on sustainable solutions that benefit both wildlife and local communities. Find out more here: www.elephantsalive.org
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