Guidelines for living and enjoying elephants safely
How to live with elephants
- Be observant and mindful when in the bush – even around houses.
- Keep a fence around your house
- Electric (standard, 2-stranded, 45-degree etc.). Functioning at all times.
- Non-electric (beehive, Kasaine, sharp and rolling rock barrier, pyramid barrier, stone wall etc.).
- Cattle grid at the entrance (electric or rolling).
- Protect your water supply
- Electric or non-electric barrier.
- No water pipes lying exposed above ground.
- Do not have a full water tank if not present.
- Mindful living
- No feeding of wildlife.
- No petting or taming wildlife.
- No oranges or citrus at all.
- Plant unpalatable vegetation near the house – do not have plants favoured by elephants near the house.
- Protect outside rubbish bin with electric or non-electric barrier and keep away from gas, geysers etc.
- Frequent removal of rubbish.
- Limit noise pollution.
Guidelines for living and enjoying elephants safely
How to view elephants safely
Do’s
- Give them the right of way.
- Approach slowly to the minimum distance of 50 m (elephants have personal space).
- Be mindful of where all individuals are so you do not separate them, box them in or block their way.
- Stay in the vehicle.
- Only slow and determined movements.
- Be quiet – shot off the engine, no shouting, yelling, or crying, no banging on the door, no drunken behaviour etc.
- Leave slowly and calmly if elephants show unease at your presence.
- Give males in musth plenty of space
- A minimum of 80 m distance
- Do not attempt to drive past
- Leave calmly if approached
- Leave at the first sign of unease
- Always have a clear escape route that is not in reverse – you will not be able to drive faster than a charging elephant in reverse.
- In case of mock charge: Bang on car and shout and leave as calmly as possible.
Don’ts
- Speed up to elephants.
- Separate elephants from each other.
- Block their path or box them in.
- Chase or follow elephants wanting to get away.
- Feeding or bringing citrus fruits.
- Shout, yell, bang on the door etc.
- Keep engine running (unless the car is unable to start again) or rev engine.
- Get out of the vehicle.
- Sudden, jerky, or jumping movements.
- Speed past elephants.
Guidelines for living and enjoying elephants safely
How to behave in conflict situations
- Talk to them calmly.
- Clap hands determinedly.
- Shine flashing lights at them (not directly into the eyes).
- Light chilies-bricks.
Grow unfavoured plants as a deterrent in a buffer zone around property/house and close to the house
Guidelines for living and enjoying elephants safely
How to understand what elephants are saying
Attentive
Listening – Standing completely still with head raised, ears lifted and at a 45-degree angle.
Periscope-Sniff – Trunk lifted in S-shape detecting scents in the air, e.g. predators.
Sniff-Towards – Trunk is held straight and in direction of the object of interest, e.g. individual.
Reinforcing social bonds
Reach-Touch – Reaching out with trunk to touch other individuals.
Caressing – Using trunk to caress another by wrapping trunk over back or around the belly of a calf, touching genitalia, face, temporal glands etc. Within a family group.
Social-Rubbing – Rubbing head and body up against another stationary individual. Between closely related individuals.
Trunk-Twining – Two elephants entwining their trunks.
Uneasy
Foot-Swinging – Lifting front leg and swinging foot. Sign of uncertainty of what action to take.
Touch-Face – Touching own face (mouth, ear, temporal gland, eye) with the trunk. For reassurance.
Jaw-Tilted-Upwards – Jaw tilted so tusks are parallel to the ground with ears slightly spread and lifted.
Threatening
Ear-Spreading – Facing adversary with ears at 90-degree angle from the body to appear bigger. Can also happen when surprised or excited.
Head-Shaking – Head twisted to one side and shaken from side to side with ears flapping against the face.
Standing-Tall – Head held above shoulders with raised chin while looking down the adversary.
Forward-Trunk-Swing – Abrupt swinging trunk towards the adversary, e.g. smaller animals, people.
Ear-Folding – The lower half of the ear is folded under and back creating a horizontal fold across the ear.
Tusk-Ground – Bending/kneeling to push tusks into the ground and uprooting vegetation. A show of strength and intention.
Mock-Charge – Rushing towards and stopping short of the adversary while Standing-Tall, Ear-Spreading and kicking up dust. Often with a shrill trumpet but can be silent.
Real-Charge – Rushing towards adversary with trunk curled up to tusks can make contact first. Usually silent.
Musth
Temporal-Gland-Secretion – Streak of dark fluid running down the face from a gland between eye and ear. Strong, pungent odour.
Also seen in females and non-musth males as a mood-indicator without the strong smell.
Urine-Dribbling – Continual dripping of urine giving inner legs a wet, shiny appearance. Strong pungent odour.
Trunk-Bounce-Drag – Trunk tip dragged along on ground leaving snake-like impressions. A threat at close range.
Musth-Walk – Walking with a swagger and head held high.