Group Elephant is the primary benefactor of nonprofit Elephants, Rhinos & People (ERP), which specializes in elephant and rhino protection and preservation in the wild, in Southern Africa. ERP presently operates in South Africa and Namibia, with expansion into Botswana under consideration.

Led by Tinus Hansen, ERP Namibia has amassed and continues to acquire considerable tracts of conservation land in support of a strategy based on reestablishing a historic elephant corridor in the north, and a black rhino sanctuary in the south of this vast, sparsely populated country.

An ERP property situated on the Huab river system in the Kamanjab region, south of Etosha National Park, was host to a significant elephant breeding herd this week. Tinus recently oversaw construction of the newest waterhole in the ERP corridor, and in the early hours of a morning this week, a video camera set up near the waterhole captured the dreamlike spectacle of these magical creatures in their procession. Although a simplification of a complex topic, they are considered ‘desert adapted’ elephants.

Tracking and observational data shows that elephant herds in the region are increasingly prevalent and seemingly more relaxed and comfortable for longer periods, within the ERP corridor. They have access to reliable sources of water and are not harassed by commercial farmers. It is rapidly turning into the safe haven for them that it was designed to be.
 
Movement patterns are deeply embedded in elephant social knowledge, especially via the matriarchs, and handed down between generations. Tinus will soon receive students from the University of Oxford, coming over to examine genetic mapping of ‘our’ elephants.

Please watch the mesmerizing video available at https://lnkd.in/eMVrpHYG. This is what a Group Elephant stakeholder looks like.