Wildlife Viewing of Elephants in Maasai Mara | Kenya Wildlife Safaris.
Elephants in Maasai Mara National Reserve: The African elephants are one of the most iconic wildlife species in Africa; they are the largest land animals on earth, as well as fascinatingly intelligent and socially complex animals. On a Maasai Mara safari, you can easily spot the elephants on the savannah plains.
Elephants are the most loved and recognised animals on the planet for their problem-solving intelligence and incredible loyalty to each other. Also, they are subjects to mystery, with many aspects of their lives still unknown.
African elephants are matriarchal in nature, meaning they live in female-led groups. Usually the matriarch is the biggest and oldest; she presides over a multi-generational herd that comprises other females (called ‘cows’) and their young. The bulls (adult males) usually live alone but sometimes form small groups with other lone males.
Each elephant family usually contains about 10 members, although several families may join together to form a clan made up of up to 70 members led by a female. Forest elephants live in smaller groups.
The African bush elephants are not just the largest elephants but also the world’s largest land animals, weighing in at around 6000 kg and standing 3.2 m tall at the shoulder. The females are about 60 cm shorter and half the weight, and the males are 2.2 m tall and 2000 kg, making them the smallest elephant species.
Elephants are common animals in Africa and Asia, though their populations have experienced a significant decline over the last century due to poaching for the illegal ivory trade and habitat loss and resulting human–elephant conflict. As the largest land mammals on earth, elephants have distinctly massive bodies, large ears and long trunks. They use their trunks to pick up objects, draw warnings, greet other elephants, or suck up water for drinking and bathing, among other functions. Their extended teeth can be used to protect the elephant’s trunk and life, move objects, gather food, and strip bark from trees. Also, they can be used for defence, and during times of drought, elephants even use their tusks to dig holes to find water underground.
What Do Elephants Use their tusks for?
Tusks are actually hugely elongated upper incisor teeth embedded deep in the elephant’s head (up to a third of a tusk is hidden from view). Elephant tusks have a variety of uses, including as a tool to dig for food or water and to strip tree bark; also, they use tusks as a weapon in battles with rivals and as a courtship aid. To bulls, the larger his tusk is, the more attractive it may appear to a female.
Protecting the Elephants in Maasai Mara National Reserve
Worldwide, the elephants are being extirpated at an alarming rate due to the illegal trade in ivory that has skyrocketed in the recent years, and Maasai Mara is no exception. In 2012, 139 elephants were killed, representing 9-12% of the resident population.
Without the intervention of conservation agencies, the existence of elephants in Maasai Mara National Reserve is in jeopardy.
The Mara Conservancy currently operates daily anti-poaching and de-snaring patrols that monitor wildlife as well as potential human incursions into the Mara Triangle. In collaboration with partner organisations Mara Elephant Project and Save the Elephants, Mara Conservancy is able to combine available Global Information System (GIS) information from collared elephants, reports from patrols and communications with partners to strategically target critical areas for monitoring and law enforcement.
The consistent presence of Mara Conservancy’s patrols not only deters poaching in the Mara Triangle but also facilitates rapid and effective response to reports of illegal activities both in the Masai Mara National Reserve and in the surrounding conservancies.
Why Are Elephants So Important?
Elephants play an essential role in the natural environment; these animals are landscape architects. For example, they move around and feed; they create clearings in wooded areas, thus promoting new plant growth and allowing forests to regenerate naturally. Then, there is seed dispersal. When elephants eat seed-bearing plants and fruits, the seeds often re-emerge undigested. It is the way a lot of plants spread, and elephants can eat big seeds that small wildlife species can eat.
Without elephants, the natural structure and functioning of their landscapes would be very different, which in turn would impact other wildlife and the people who share that exact space. The local people depend on natural resources found in shared elephant habitats, for example, for food, income generation and fuel. As one of the members of the Big Five, elephants are popular sightings for tourists, and income generated through tourism is important for the local economies. By protecting the elephants, we are also making sure their environment and its natural resources are available for generations to come.
Key Facts About Elephants in Maasai Mara National Reserve
Type of Elephants found in Maasai Mara National Reserve
Elephants found in the Maasai Mara National Reserve on a Kenya safari are specifically the African savannah elephant species, scientifically known as Loxodonta africana. These elephants are among the largest land mammals on earth, characterised by their impressive size, large ears, and curved tusks that both males and females possess. Unlike the forest elephants, savannah elephants thrive in open grasslands and woodlands, environments abundant in the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
How many elephants are in Maasai Mara National Reserve?
Currently, the Greater Masai Mara ecosystem has more than 2,500 African elephants, although due to migration with Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and ongoing wildlife conservation challenges, the numbers can fluctuate.
How big are African elephants?
The African elephants are the world’s largest land mammal, with males on average measuring up to 3m high and weighing up to 6 tonnes. That is around the same as 40 average humans (assuming 75 kilograms each).
What do African elephants eat and drink?
Depending on the season, elephants in Maasai Mara National Reserve eat grass, leaves, shrubs, fruits and roots. During the dry season, they will eat more woody parts of trees and shrubs like twigs, branches and bark.
Daily, elephants require up to 150 kg of food per day, which is approximately eating 1,250 bananas, although half of this may leave the body undigested.
What is the IUCN status of African elephants?
The African savannah elephants are listed as ‘endangered’, which means they are at very high risk of extinction and their numbers are declining. African forest elephants are listed as critically endangered, which means they are extremely high risk and their numbers are declining.
