Why elephants love Eswatini
MBABANE – In the past seven months, about 38 elephants have roamed in and out of Eswatini.
The elephants were officially reported to be from Mozambique and South Africa.
The recent herd of six elephants was seen in Tshaneni and Ngomane. Initially, the elephants were suspected to be part of the 11 bulls, that had roamed into the country and were causing havoc in fields in Mananga.
During the Easter weekend, there were two elephants that were spotted at Mbikwakhe. Before that, there were 11 elephants that roamed into the country. The bulls entered Eswatini via Usutu Gorge from Mozambique.
Alert
Not long ago, a month or two back, Big Game Parks (BGP) authorities and Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) were on high alert, when 11 elephants roamed into the country. The elephants were first seen by soldiers stationed in Tikhuba in the Lubombo region.
In November and December last, this publication ran a series of articles on two elephants ‘Gatuno’ and ‘Swazi’ who roamed into the country after escaping Mozambique. ‘Gatuno’ one of the elephants that had wandered into the country officially left months later.
The elephants were first seen at Mambane on November 27, 2021, they later moved to Big Bend near Gamula, along Lubhuku area where they were spotted moving around; from there they moved to Sikhuphe. From Sikhuphe they made their way to Lubhuku and made a small turn at Mpaka, which was when they moved to Hlane until they wandered themselves into a secured area. When people talk about providing elephants with a natural habitat sanctuary, there is one frequently asked question that prevails; how much space does an elephant require? And does Eswatini have this space? The country currently has 39 elephants which are at Hlane Royal National Park.
Big Game Parks (BGP) Head of Conservation Mick Jubela Reilly and German Elephant Expert Jonathan Clive, have mentioned that Eswatini might be a safe destination for elephants. The duo was speaking on the recent roam-ins by elephants into the country.
Clive made an example of how the country had seen elephants from Mozambique roam into the Kingdom in a space of seven months. He said this was a sign that there was something special about the kingdom.
The home range for wild African elephants can extend up to 11 000 square kilometres, more than 2.7 million acres, up to 400 square kilometres and almost double that for a male, up to 200 000 acres.
Vegetation
“This immediately raises the question of why the disparaging figures; the simple answer is that African and Asian elephants are different species, living in vastly different climatic and topographical regions. One of the biggest reasons for the difference is vegetation, who knows, maybe Eswatini is a safer and a preferred destination of these elephants,” he said. His sentiments were echoed by Jubela who said, in the country there were real and ethnic African forests that catered for elephants that have smaller home ranges. He further said elephants needed the opportunity and motivation to explore, to seek out solitude or social experiences, to search for the greenest grass and the tree with ripening fruit. He said they need autonomy and to feel secure. In addition, they mentioned that Eswatini’s forestry and green vegetation could be another reason elephants roam into the country, to feast.
An expert and official at the Kruger National Park said the reason elephants were out and about roaming was that they were now crowded in SouthAfrica and the space they were occupying was not adequate.
“The illegal poaching of elephants in South Africa has been a huge issue for many decades. Approximately every 15 minutes, an elephant is poached for its ivory. That is almost 100 elephants a day and nearly 40 000 elephants a year. This is according to a report we recently celebrated in the country,” he said.
However, these figures have declined which could explain the reason why the elephants roam out of the republic as they may be crowded.