Open AccessAge structure of elephants in Liwonde National Park, Malawi
Author(s) -
R. Bhima,
Jacobus du P. Bothma
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
koedoe
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.419
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 2071-0771
pISSN - 0075-6458
DOI - 10.4102/koedoe.v40i2.269
Subject(s) - national park , age structure , population , geography , demography , archaeology , sociology
The age structure of the elephant population in Liwonde National Park, Malawi was determined for the first time in 1993 and again in 1995 using the photogrammetric method. Sampling was done during a four year-long severe drought from 1991/92 to 1994/95. The drought reached its highest intensity in the first year. Therefore, the study also attempted to assess the impact of the drought on the population. The results show that the population consisted of mostly young animals <5 years old (52.6 and 44.8 in 1993 and 1995, respectively). The other age cohorts were as follows: 6-10 years old - 16.1 and 21.7 ; 11-15 years old - 7.8 and 9.2 ; 16-20 years old - 5.2 and 4.7 ; and >20 years old - 18.3 and 20.5 . The population is young and growing. The prolonged drought did not have any significant impact on the population