WINDHOEK, Dec. 17 — Namibia has for the first time ever fitted satellite collars on two males of Ugab River West desert elephants to monitor their real-time movement and receive early warnings when they move into identified danger zones, officials said Friday.
The conservation program is run under the auspices of the Elephant Human Relations Aid (EHRA), a non-profit organization in Namibia.
Ugab River West desert elephants have had their home range to the west of the ephemeral river, but in recent years they have migrated east and spent many of the rainy months on commercial farms, where three adult females and one male were shot in 2020, reducing the desert-dwelling subpopulation to 21 elephants, according to EHRA.
“The new GPS collars will track the elephants in real-time and the organization officials will receive alerts when the collared animals move into identified alert zones. Apps such as Earth Ranger allow for geofencing techniques that send out early warning signals, allowing EHRA and the environment ministry to immediately respond to emergencies or prepare the relevant village or farm of the approaching giants,” the organization said.
Namibia has in the past collared lions to curb lion-farmer conflicts. – XINHUA
