Proximate factors influencing elephant population dynamics In marsabit national park

Abstract

This paper seeks to establish the population of elephants and other mammals in Marsabit National Park (MNP) by the use of published defecation rates, dung decay rates and distance sampling technique. Dung density assessment was used as an index to calculate elephant density, while DISTANCE was employed to establish abundance of other mammal species in the ecosystem. Other large mammals were factored in the exercise to evaluate their competitive ability with the elephants Interms of resource competition. Twenty seven (1km long) transects were randomly run across the four vegetation types of MNP (cloud forest, dry forest, shrub land and wetland), where elephant dung density and direct observation for other mammals were conducted simultaneously. There was an elephant density of 0.91elephants/km2, translating to 0.7±14.8 elephants ranging from 65.3 to125.9 elephants at 95% confidence interval (C.I). Cloud and dry forest vegetation types supported a higher elephant density, with dung densities of 4792.3±1549.8piles/km2 and 2408.6±470.6piles/km2 for cloud and dry forest vegetation types respectively. Shrub land and wetland on the other hand were established to support breeding families with a higher proportion of young. Twenty one (21) other large mammal species were encountered a long side elephants. Livestock occurred in all the vegetation types except wetland, and had higher densities than wild species with densities of 25.8±12.5goats/km2, 13.5±0.9sheep/km2 and 6.1±2.0cattle/km2 for goat, sheep and cattle respectively.Though there was a positive relation between livestock and wild mammal density distribution, P=0.02,t=2.50, n=24, areas with high livestock densities had lower wildlife species diversity, an indication of competitive displacement of some wildlife species by livestock. To ensure long-term wildlife sustainability, there should be development and implementation of a management plan. Additionally there will be need to synchronize elephant dung density assessment for MNP with aerial survey for the expansive Samburu-Laikipia-Marsabit ecosystem to ascertain elephant population in totality.