On the 1st February 2002, Mafunyane, a 14-year-old male from the herd at Abu Camp was released. He is doing very well, associating with wild males and herds in the area. On occasion he can be seen in and around camp but this is not surprising as the process of independence in the wild can take 1-4 years!!!! Due to the success of Mafunyane's release the DWNP gave permission for two more adolescent males to be released. Small Thando (15-year-old) and Seba (9-year-old) were released on the 10th February 2003. They are always together and are very adventurous, exploring areas outside their natal range.

Unlike the females, which remain with their natal herd, the natural instinct of male elephants is to leave and become independent when they are adolescent. This instinct is very strong, even in captive males, so it has always been Randall's vision to release these males to allow them to do what comes naturally.

In Addition

Although our work primarily focuses on males, a unique opportunity arose to see how a female elephant would integrate into the wild. Nandipa was released in September 2003 and is surprising us all with how quickly she is adapting and seems to have become part of a wild herd and has moved out of the vicinity of camp with them.

These four elephants have all been fitted with satellite radio collars to enable us to pinpoint their positions three times a day. Five wild adolescent males have also been collared to investigate and compare home range, habitat utilisation and movements of adolescent males. These are tracked and located once a week from the air to monitor their social interactions and habitat selection. In addition, they are tracked from the ground when possible, but the Okavango is their playground so they are able to go wherever they want, making the latter method unfeasible at times.

• Botswana is home to the largest remaining elephant population in the world. This project will provide information to enable a realistic elephant conservation programme to be implemented in Botswana, ensuring that this population remains for generations to come.
• Address a priority research concern of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP).
• Investigate the viability of the release of adolescent habituated males into the area.
• Address the long-term issues that face EBS and other captive elephants, as well as the ethical implications of translocation and repopulation programmes throughout Africa.
• Monitor and analyse the behaviour of adolescent males. In particular, the departure and subsequent integration of pubescent males from their natal herd into the complex social structure of adult males, an area of research that has received little attention to date. Information on this important aspect of elephant ecology can only advance our understanding and therefore, the conservation of these majestic animals.
• Monitor and analyse the population dynamics and movements of elephant in and around NG 26.
• Record and analyse the vocalisations of male elephants from different age groups. These will be used to investigate the theory that the more solitary adult male elephants are less vocal than younger more sociable males. Good quality recordings will be submitted to a 'library of calls' to be utilised by other researchers and may have the potential for use in human-elephant conflict issues as well as conservation management.
• Determine habitat utilisation. All encounters with elephants are logged, recording location, numbers, sex and age and habitat selection. The affects of season, sex and age on habitat utilisation will be analysed.