When the Elephant Ignite Expedition hit the road on its ambitious journey through southern Africa (more on that here), the all-female team had one goal in mind: to help the continent's elephants.
By the time the long trek was done and dusted, they'd crossed multiple African borders, connected with dozens of conservationists and wildlife groups (while raising money for their work), and covered over 15,000 kilometres. The journey's highlights were many, but one pit stop on the itinerary stood out. With an Earth Touch convoy and cameras in tow, the team got to participate in an elephant collaring operation with conservation group Elephants Alive near South Africa's iconic Kruger National Park.
As is the case with many a threatened species, solid conservation plans start with gathering knowledge – and the best way to learn more about the habits and behaviours of huge, roaming pachyderms is to fit them with tracking devices. Of course, getting a GPS collar around the neck of the earth's largest land mammal is – no surprise here – a pretty hefty task.
From administering just the right dose of powerful tranquilisers to ensuring the slumbering giant can get back on its feet in the shortest possible time, collaring an African elephant takes impeccable teamwork and a lot of muscle power.
This is just the first episode in a series of videos about the Elephant Ignite Expedition, so check back in for updates. You can also read more about the team here.
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Top header image: Andy Price, Flickr
Poaching
Conservation
Conservation
