Life The last Knysna elephant has a message for people Researchers confirm there is just one elephant left in the forest BL PREMIUM

Only one elephant remains in the Knysna forest and surrounding fynbos: a mature female. There is enormous pathos and tragedy in this finding as she is the last truly wild, free-roaming elephant in SA and the southernmost in the world. The finding was recently published in a scientific article titled And Then There Was One by leading mammal scientists, following a rigorous camera trap survey, using 72 passive infrared-triggered cameras, 24/7 from July 2016 to October 2017 in the Knysna elephant range that spans 185km². This range includes the Garden Route National Park, privately-owned commercial timber plantations and privately-owned forested land. The Knysna elephants have always moved directionally and seasonally along clearly-defined elephant pathways between feeding patches and water in the area.

“There has been a debate for years now about how many Knysna elephants there are, as they are difficult to see or locate,” says Graham Kerley from the Centre for African Conserva...