Elephant Herds Compete More for Food in Grasslands vs Forests: Study

January 1, 2024

Elephants exhibit greater conflict over food in human-altered grasslands compared to forests, despite greater resource abundance in the former, a new study reveals.

Probing Pachyderm Behavior

Scientists from Bengaluru’s Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research analyzed data from long-term tracking of elephant groups in Kabini, Karnataka. They assessed whether competition and aggression within and between herds depends on grass availability, dispersion and herd sizes.

Key Findings

The study found inter-herd contests over food intensify in grasslands even with plentiful, clustered resources. This defies assumptions of low conflict over abundant dispersed supplies, like grass in forests.
Instead, models suggest high, monopolizable food concentrations in grasslands, shaped by human activities, spark fights despite adequacy.

Relevance for Conservation

The research provides unique sociological insights into how anthropogenic habitat changes can unintentionally impact animal group dynamics.
Creating artificial grasslands may increase fodder biomass butworsen inter-herd rivalry over defensible patches.
Such ecological interference in elephant home ranges can have conservation implications, besides undermining animal welfare.
It highlights the need for holistic evaluation before introducing environmental alterations balancing multiple objectives.
The revelations also advance knowledge of female social relationships in matriarchal megaherbivore societies, spurring further behavioral study.

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