Tracking the movements of translocated elephants in Malaysia using satellite telemetry

Malaysia incurs damage worth millions of dollars annually from elephants feeding in plantations. In response, the Malaysian Wildlife Department has translocatcd over 392 elephants from plantations into protected areas since 1974. Dense rain forest and steep terrain at the release sires have made it near impossible to follow the movements of the released elephants and evaluate the success of the programme. In October 1995, a translocated female elephant was fitted with a satellite transmitter to determine its post-release movements. By August 1996, the female had moved within a range of 7000 sq km. the movements were erratic initially and covered a large area. They were followed by a shift in location twice, each time covering successively smaller areas. Attempts to locate and follow the female on the ground revealed no evidence that she travelled in a group. A second, male elephant was equipped with a satellite transmitter in February 1996 and by August 1996, it had moved within a range of 350 sq km. An attempt to locate and follow the male on the ground provided evidence that he was in a group of at least three individuals. The difference in the behaviour of the two elephants, released at exactly the same location, is striking, but additional elephants need to be followed to increase sample size and allow a scientific explanation of the findings.