5 Things to Know: The Elephants of the Amboseli

Here is the need to know information for anyone interested in the Amboseli’s most iconic resident: the African Elephant.

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The Amboseli region in southern Kenya is an uniquely challenging ecosystem to understand as an ecologist due to its two most important residents: some of the kindest humans I’ve ever met, and some of the most bold elephants I have ever seen in my career so far.

However this post isn’t to share my opinions, but to share information every visitor should know before going on safari in Amboseli National Park regarding their most iconic megafauna. It would take a lengthy book to explain the role elephants play in this complex environment and societies within it, but here are 5 essential ideas everyone should know before they go.

No.1 Amboseli National Park is an Elephant Hotspot

With Mount Kilimanjaro laying a dramatic backdrop for the Kenya-Tanzania boarder, the Amboseli region boasts a picturesque location for locals and avid ecotourists alike. The rural communities throughout the region have a long standing history with the abundance of wildlife that roams freely into and outside of the National Park grounds- warthogs, cheetahs, lions, ostrich, hippos, and of course, the formidable herds of bush elephants the National Park is known for. While the Maasai Mara is one of the most well known ecosystems of southern Kenya (as it is part of the iconic Serengeti-Mara ecosystem), it is the Amboseli refuge that currently boasts some of the best viewing of bush elephants in the country.

With the Maasai Mara, Tsavo, and Chyulu Hills so close by, it is easy to wonder what makes the Amboseli such a popular reoccurring destination for traveling herds. The answer? Water. Elephants need plenty of it, and Amboseli’s close proximity to Mount Kilimanjaro allows swamps to be sustained from the aquifers the colossal glacier atop the mountain provides. With so much water readily available even throughout Kenya’s dry seasons, it is easy to understand why the park regularly hosts around 1,500 elephants according to the Amboseli Trust for Elephants (we will talk more about this organization later).

No. 2 Elephants are Dazzling to Observe, and Difficult to Understand

Simply put, elephants are complicated. You can read some of the most well known guides to elephant behavior and still see the most unexpected behaviors when you observe them in real-time. But that is one of the best parts of getting to see elephants- they are always doing something new and strange, ensuring the novelty of observing them is consistent whether you are with them for a day or for a year.

All elephants, the bush elephants of Kenya included, are known to be socially complex, as best recorded in the Kingdon Field Guide and the Behavioral Guide to African Mammals. The main herds have a matriarchy- the oldest female leads, followed by her daughters and grandchildren to form a three generation family. The member in the back is often the one of the largest of the older females, seemingly intent on helping the matriarch keep the entire herd together and safe. Males, though seen more often alone than females, are hardly anti-social. Young males will often form their own herds following older bulls (so called “bachelor herds”) to learn any skills they did not pick up from their families before taking to the more nomadic lifestyle of a teenage male. Mature males are allowed to join matriarchal herds from time to time, typically choosing to do so when one or more female members are open to mating, The male will participate in social behaviors with many members of the herd during that time. Bush elephants show their complexities in ways once thought to be unique to humans. They have been observed mourning their dead by defending carcasses of the recently deceased and gently touching the bones of the long deceased they may pass along their journeys. They show empathy in caring for young they did not produce, providing physical comfort to distressed members of the herd, and assisting injured peers in eating and moving when necessary. And their problem-solving abilities make it obvious to any observer that they are truly some of the most cunning members of Earth’s current arsenal of species^1,2.

Don’t let their plant-based diet fool you- with complex behaviors comes unpredictability, making them one of the riskier animals to view so closely. Leaking from the temporal glands (looks almost like tears or sweat, but from a gland located further back on the head from the eyes) can occur for a number of reasons, but can often be the sign of a more hormonal and easily agitated individual². Recently rejected males, females traveling with young, or even elephants who have simply had a bad experience with humans in the past may also decide they do not wish to be viewed so closely by humans. I highly recommend reading about the body language of elephants in the Behavioral Guide to African Mammals and choosing your tour guide well so that you can observe all the amazing behaviors of the elephants of the Amboseli without fear of aggressive altercations.

No.3 Human-Elephant Relations in Amboseli are…. Complicated

Everyone lives within an ecosystem. From the towering concrete jungle of Beijing to the meandering canals of Venice to the carefully curated suburbia of the USA’s east coast, we all live in a system that sustains life. With each unique aspect of an ecosystem comes challenges the societies within must contend with in order to create a sustainable future. When it comes to the communities of the Amboseli region, elephants can be particularly tricky to work with.

Human-elephant conflicts have become more frequent in the Amboseli in modern times. Crop raiding, decreased natural food sources for the elephants, and shared use of water sources all become bigger issues as the communities of Amboseli push to modernize their agriculture industry. With elephants being so intelligent, traditional wildlife deterrents (and even a number of unique solutions like beehive fences) simply don’t work to separate a hungry elephant from a farmers hard-earned crop (I highly recommend reading Shaffer et al. 2019 paper for a full list of deterrents that are being tried in the region- it is fascinating)^3,4. In short, it is understandably hard for local communities to support elephant conservation when hungry herds cost them so much of their livelihood, and no affordable solution currently exists.

A survey published in 2016 in the International Journal of Biodiversity & Conservation (Okello et al.) asked the local communities of the Amboseli about their views on conflicts with elephants. Many stressors were discussed, but 78% of participants felt that the “indifference to the plight of local community by conservationists” was an issue. While 70% of the participants recognized the importance of elephant conservation, the communities expressed frustration with taking the brunt of the cost of living in or near protected areas without gaining the financial benefits of ecotourism to offset their losses⁵.

Why is this important for you as a tourist? Local communities are the key protectors of the ecosystems they live within. Placing a community in a position where they must choose between conservation and economic security is simply unsustainable for all parties involved. Be mindful when engaging with locals- telling someone you would do anything to save all the elephants on earth right after that person had their entire year’s crop destroyed by elephants may be a little insensitive, even if unintentionally so. Also consider supporting local businesses to the best of your ability while there- use locally run safari guides and shop in street markets when you travel between wildlife viewing areas. Helping the economy of the Amboseli societies offsets the sacrifices that are made between conservation and financial well-being, and is an indication of responsible tourism.

No.4 Be a Responsible Ecotourist

Congrats! You’re already doing the most basic step of being a responsible tourist by reading this article! Exploration without education can mean you are negatively affecting the very life you are so eager to see without even knowing it, so good on you for doing some research first! But let’s talk about what you should do specifically when visiting the Amboseli.

As discussed in the last section, supporting local communities is essential for conservation. There is a huge concern for ecotourism being run by private entities based outside of the region, meaning that the economic benefits of tourism go to wealthy business owners and circumvents the community entirely⁴. Choosing locally run safari services, food sources, and accommodations help promote local employment, education, and incentives for conservation efforts at a local level⁶.

Additionally, paying attention to your safari guide and knowing safe safari practices is essential. Intense tourist demand encourage some safari companies to break the common rules of safaris: overcrowding a rare animal, going off roading, and even chasing animals down so their guests can get the best possible photos. These practices understandably disrupt the natural behaviors of wildlife, and when it come to the formidable full grown elephants of the region, it may even pose dangerous consequences for you. A good safari guide will stay on the marked roads, keep a respectful distance from the animals, pay attention to any aggressive or defensive behaviors of the animals, and only stop for a short amount of time when viewing a rare sight to make room for more trucks without overcrowding the animal. In turn, a good safari guest will not harass or pressure a guide into breaking safari etiquette for any reason.

A great safari is one filled with education, a proven preventative method for both guides and guests to avoid negatively impacting the ecosystem they are enjoying together⁷. Talk to your guide, especially if you chose to go with a local one. They know the wildlife they live next to better than any outside source. When it comes to elephants, many local guides can recognize different individuals on site, making your elephant viewing experience unique and personal.

No.5 Meet the Conservation Voices of the Amboseli

Conservation at a local level is vital and greatly helped along by the larger organizations that seek to help communities find sustainable solutions to their conservation needs. This is by no means an extensive list of those organizations, but a few key ones that you’re likely to hear about while traveling.

The most important entity to know is the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS), a state run program dedicated to the management of Kenyan wildlife and the enforcement of wildlife regulations. While many governments around the world have their own versions of wildlife services, KWS is notable in the seriousness of their work. The corporation made headlines when showing off their impressive stockpile of confiscated ivory (elephant tusks that are highly valuable) that could potentially be sold on behalf of the country- and burning the entire collection for the world to see. The message they were trying to send was clear: Kenyans value their elephants alive, and will not tolerate the illegal poachers who find more value in their death (see video here). With strong messages comes what could be considered to be intense enforcement. KWS does not tolerate trophy hunting, poaching, or suspicions of engaging in illegal animal trade of any kind. They are a strong presence throughout many of Kenya’s natural attractions, including Amboseli N.P.

The Amboseli Trust for Elephants (ATE) is possibly one the best organizations dedicated to the long term research of African Elephants in eastern Africa. The organization has documented well over 3000 elephants within the Amboseli ecosystem and frequently conducts research that expands our knowledge of the species by bounds. Their website is a essential resource for elephant enthusiasts visiting the region, and their dedication not only to elephant conservation but local community engagement makes them a worthwhile organization to support.

Perhaps the most prominent name of wildlife conservation in Africa is the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF). Their mission to find “solutions that create opportunity for people — not at the expense of wildlife and their habitats, but because of them” has granted them the role of a beacon of sustainable development and wildlife conservation across the continent. AWF also partners with many zoos and aquariums across the world to provide education, funding, and outreach to communities. With such impact, it would be hard to write anything about African conservation without mentioning this organization.

To Wrap it Up…

Visiting the Amboseli region of southern Kenya is an elephant enthusiast’s dream, but with that visit holds a lot of responsibility. Elephants are complex creatures that are both fascinating and difficult to understand, especially for the communities most responsible for their conservation. Supporting these communities through understanding human-elephant relations, responsible ecotourism, and showing support for the organizations that can best assist these communities will in turn help the ecosystem these amazing creatures rely on.

Resources and Further Reading

1. Kingdon, J. (2001). The Kingdon Guide to African mammals. Academic Press.
2. Estes/Wilson, Estes, R. D., Otte, D., & Wilson, E. O. (2012). Behavior guide to African mammals: Including hoofed mammals, carnivores, primates, 20th anniversary edition. University of California Press.
3. Shaffer, L. J., Khadka, K. K., Van Den Hoek, J., & Naithani, K. J. (2019). Human-elephant conflict: A review of current management strategies and future directions. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2018.00235
4. Evans, L. A., & Adams, W. M. (2018). Elephants as actors in the political ecology of Human–Elephant Conflict. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 43(4), 630–645. https://doi.org/10.1111/tran.12242
5. Okello, M. M., Kiringe, J. W., Njumbi, S. J. & Isiche, J. (2016). Prevalence of human – elephant conflicts in Amboseli ecosystem, Kenya: Current opinions of local community. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation, 8(3), 60-71.
6. Makindi, S.M. (2016). Local communities, biodiversity conservation and ecotourism: A case study of the Kimana Community Wildlife Sanctuary, Kenya, African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 5(3)
7. Tarver, R., Cohen, K., Klyve, D., & Liseki, S. (2019). Sustainable safari practices: Proximity to wildlife, educational intervention, and the quality of experience. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 25, 76–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2019.01.001