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Grades 4-6

Follow The Herd

By Andrea Delbanco

Lewis, a wild elephant in Kenya's Samburu National Reserve, spent his days as any elephant would--eating, roaming and hanging out with his friends and family. But by doing what comes naturally, Lewis could help save his entire species.

Lewis was part of a study published in early January about efforts to help save elephants, which are endangered. Nature reserves in Africa and Asia aim to protect the animals by giving them a secure space to roam. But because elephants are large and eat so much, it's hard to find spaces that are big enough to hold them. Sometimes, they roam away into areas that are not safe.

"The conservation of elephants requires understanding how much space they need and why they need it," scientist Thure Cerling told TFK. Cerling teamed up with the Save the Elephants Foundation to study elephants, including Lewis, on the Samburu reserve for two years.

Collecting the Clues
A two-part method was used to find out what tempts elephants to wander out of their sanctuary. Save the Elephants fitted the animals with radio collars equipped with global positioning system (GPS) tracking devices. Researchers collected hair samples from the tails of 35 elephants. Analysis of the chemicals in the hair shows what each elephant ate over time. Cerling says they used the hair "like a tape recorder." The team matched up the information about diet and movement to reveal the story of the animals' daily life.

Of seven elephants tested, six had similar diets. But a foot-long hair from Lewis told a different tale. It showed that during the dry season, when grass in the sanctuary got brown, Lewis ventured out of Samburu to eat tasty crops at a farm. To find this food, he walked for 15 hours. If Lewis had what he wanted inside of the sanctuary, he might not have left his protected habitat. Leaving was a risky move.

Scientists are now taking more hair samples and doing more studies. They hope to paint a complete picture of elephant behavior and needs. Then conservationists can use the information to plan sanctuaries where elephants can feel at home.

Did You Know?
Elephants are the largest living land animals. They can weigh as much as nine tons.

A newborn elephant stands just over three feet tall and weighs about 220 pounds.

Elephants are endangered. There are only 35,000 to 50,000 Asian and 300,000 to 600,000 African elephants left in the wild.

An elephant can use its trunk as a snorkel. The trunk stays above the water's surface, allowing the elephant to cross rivers and lakes.

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