Tracking Elephants with GPS-Satellite Collars

To track elephants we now use collars which have a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit. GPS is based on a network of satellites using which the location of an object on the ground can be obtained to within a few meters accuracy. So these new collars obtain an extremely accurate location for the elephant every four hours, night and day. Then they transmit that information (6 locations for each day) once a day to another satellite that relays it back to the ground. In this way, we can get extremely precise data on elephant movements every 4 hours, and we can answer a great many questions that are relevant to management.

Satellite image of the Yala area with locations for the two tracked elephants (yellow for Kavan and red for Biso-Menike)

Currently we have two satellite-GPS collars on elephants. They are ranging in and around the Yala National Park in southern Sri Lanka. The first one to be collared was a young male and has been named "Kavantissa" or "Kavan" for short - after an illustrious king who ruled the Ruhunu kingdom in southern Sri Lanka over 2000 years ago. Our research camp is based in Tissamaharama which is a town named after a stupendous monument to the Lord Buddha built by the great king. During this period there was another kingdom - that of Kelaniya, on the western coast which was ruled by another king - Kelanitissa. The ancient chronicles record the inundation of the land by the sea during this time, causing great destruction in the Kelaniya kingdom. This is perhaps one of the earliest records of a tsunami in the world. The occurrence of the tsunami was attributed to the anger of the gods caused by a misdeed of the king. In order to appease the gods, the king's daughter, a princess named 'Devi' was set on a golden raft and set afloat on the high seas. The raft washed up on the southern shores and the news was brought to the notice of king Kavantissa. He saved the princess and ultimately married her. She came to be known as Vihara Maha Devi and a monument was built at the place of their betrothal. Called the 'Magulmaha Vihare', this monument is in the area frequented by our collared elephant Kavan and his herd.

Kavan, the first Sri Lankan elephant with a GPS collar

Our second elephant, is named "Biso-Menike". She is a young female in a family group that we have known and been monitoring for many years. The matriarch of the group is Biso, hence the name Biso-Menike. Which sort of means, 'young lass of Biso's lineage'.

Elephants have a sexually dimorphic social structure, ie. The two sexes have different forms of social organization. Females and young live in groups and have a matrilineal social structure or one that is based on female lines. Males leave the herd when they become adult and then on are mostly solitary. This is an area we have been very interested at studying at CCR. See our project on social organisation...

Biso-Menike with GPS collar

Read the story about collaring Kavan, Sri Lanka's first elephant with a GPS collar.

Collaborators

Department of Wildlife Conservation, Sri Lanka
www.dwlc.lk

Smithsonian Institution, USA
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/ConservationGIS/

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