Asian Elephant Conservation
Overview
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Elephants face almost certain extinction in nearly every place they exist. Only about 30,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild, scattered across fragmented habitats in 13 Asian countries.  more |
Satellite Tracking Technology
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The Purpose Finding an 8,000-pound animal in the forest is more difficult than it sounds. Satellite collars allow for accurate measurements of elephant movements. more |
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The Technology The GPS device in the collar records the position of the elephant wearing it at set time intervals during the day. It then transmits this data to ARGOS weather satellites as they pass overhead. more |
Satellite Tracking Research and Results
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Tracking Silver Moon |
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Tsunami |
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People-Elephant Conflict People-elephant conflict is the most serious threat to the survival of wild Asian elephants. By monitoring the movement of a Sri Lankan elephant, researchers have been able to observe how he sneaks into farmers crops by night and retreats back into the forest by day. more |
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Translocation In parts of Sri Lanka, some elephants have adapted to human presence by feeding in waste dumps. In an effort to protect people and elephants' health, one elephant was moved from the dump to a nearby forest. more |
Population Assessments
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Status of Myanmar's Elephants In 2004, we worked with Myanmar's elephant experts to assess the status of wild elephants. Once thought to be a last stronghold, Myanmar's elephants have declined dramatically. more |
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Managing Wild Elephants Joint teams of rangers and National Zoo researchers roamed the forests of Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park and Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary to study the condition of wild elephant populations. more |
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Population Viability Elephants are an essential part of Asian culture and have been used as work animals for centuries. We used modeling to assess how maintaining herds of captive elephants affects the survival of wild elephants. more |
Habitat Mapping
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Shrinking Habitats in Myanmar Myanmar has some of the largest undisturbed forests in Asia. Mapping forest areas and deforestation rates can give clues as to the causes of people-elephant conflict. more |
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Regional Conservation Assessment Using digital maps and data sets for Asia, researchers at the lab demonstrate that only 55 percent of the species' range is suitable habitat. more |
