Dame Daphne SheldrickWomen’s History Month 2013

Women in Conservation

Zoe Geist: STLCC-FV WHM 2013

Biology and behavior of elephants

Elephant Airheads (Animal Planet's Fooled by Nature)•Important for ecosystems – mud baths, uprooting of shrubs, eat salts/minerals, African eggplant•Musth, a male bull mates with a receptive female in a group

Family groups with calves

Zoe Geist: STLCC-FV WHM 2013

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/battle-for-elephants/?ar_a=1 Zoe Geist: STLCC-FV WHM 2013

Ivory trade History of Ivory Trade

Battle for the Elephants - Episode 1 Ivory trade investigation

•What is driving the sales of illegal ivory?

Zoe Geist: STLCC-FV WHM 2013

Ivory trade • Worldwide ban on ivory trade 1989• In 1999 and 2008 the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) allowed two sanctioned sales of ivory. (NG http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/history-ivory-trade/?ar_a=1 )

• Estimated 25,000 – 40,000 elephants killed 2012 (NG, EOL)

Zoe Geist: STLCC-FV WHM 2013

Conservation of elephants• IUCN: conservation status of African Elephant is

vulnerable, Asian Elephant endangered; threated by loss of habitat as well– http://maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?id=7140

• Conservation efforts: – habitat management– species protection, – collaborations of range states to

manage transboundary populations – Zoos, programs to support

raising of orphaned elephants

Dame Daphne Sheldrick • Her autobiography• Grew up in Kenya, farm with many

different animals around– Given young bushbuck to nurture age 3

• Married twice, 2 daughters• Took care of orphaned animals,

developed milk formula for rhino & elephant infants

• Second husband David well-known warden of Tsavo NP; died 1977, DSWT established

• Began nursery Nairobi NP• Appointed Dame Commander of the

Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

David Sheldrick Wildlife Fund

• Short clip Sheldrick program

• A Place of Hope (rescue of elephants)

Women that study elephants

• Caitlin O’Connell• Andrea Turkalo• Cynthia Moss• Soila Sayialel – Amboseli National Park

Video Resources

• National Geographic Animal Videos– http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/the-m

agazine/the-magazine-latest/ngm-orphaned-elephants/

– http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/mammals-animals/elephants/battle-elephants-ep4-ivory-room/

– http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/history-ivory-trade/?ar_a=1

Zoe Geist: STLCC-FV WHM 2013

Video Resources

• PBS– http://www.pbs.org/programs/battle-elephants/

• BBC Earth– http://www.youtube.com/user/BBCEarth/videos?

query=elephants

• ARKIVE– http://www.arkive.org/african-elephant/

loxodonta-africana/videos.html

Zoe Geist: STLCC-FV WHM 2013