The male elephants of the Makgadikgadi

Dear Fellow Elephant Enthusiasts,

We are incredibly grateful for your generous contributions to our elephant research program. Thanks to your continued support, we’ve been able to continue our efforts in deploying camera traps across the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and surrounding community lands. These traps are helping us gain crucial insights into elephant movements and habitat use in this unique region.

One of the most significant findings in recent years has been the increase in the number of female elephants in the area. When we first arrived in 2012, there were no females in this region. By 2014, we began seeing the first signs—tracks along the riverbed. Initially, the females were elusive, with only occasional spoor marking their presence, suggesting they came to the river at night. But today, we’re observing breeding herds regularly venturing down to the riverbed during the day, though they remain skittish.

This behavioural change is exciting and raises many questions about how elephants are adapting to their environment and how human activities may be influencing their patterns. Our research, supported by camera traps, continues to focus on elephant usage of the “elephant highways” along the western boundary of the MPNP and the impact of the re-erection of the fence in the area.

What’s more, the camera traps are revealing not only elephants but also an array of other species using these pathways. Some of the rarer species we’ve documented include aardvark, African wild dogs, and brown hyenas, offering us valuable insights into the wider ecosystem and its more elusive inhabitants.

We are excited to continue analysing this data and look forward to sharing more findings with you. Your contributions are making a lasting impact on elephant conservation and biodiversity research in Botswana, and we cannot thank you enough.