Lovers of the wild in general and of elephants in particular are now able to digitally join a herd of elephants in the Kruger National Park, observing their eating, sleeping, drinking, movements across the park, and interaction with others through The Amarula Trust Facebook App.
To study elephant behaviour better, the Amarula Elephant Research Programme run by Professor Rob Slotow at the University of KwaZulu-Natal has been running since 2002. The research programme is dedicated to the conservation of the African elephant. The country’s largest cream liqueur brand Amarula is sponsoring the research programme, as elephants have been found to love eating the fruit of the amarula trees in the wild, a good source of nutrition. The researchers have already discovered that elephant feeding habits change when the seasons change, and that male and female elephants feed differently.
Six elephants in the Kruger National Park were darted and then fitted with a collar with a GPS device, so that their roaming patterns can be tracked at 30 minute intervals. The collars allow footage of the elephants’ environment to be seen on a Facebook App, and to observe the similarities and differences between the six female elephants being tracked, their interaction with other elephants in their own and in other herds, the impact of the climate, and their reaction to fencing and to tourists.
The Amarula Elephant Research Programme Facebook App is a fun way to make the Kruger National Park and its elephants accessible to all South Africans, and to tourists too!
Amarula Elephant Research Programme Facebook App.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage
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