Ginting’s herd has been closely monitored over the last six months by the dedicated Elephant Conservation and Monitoring Units (ECMU) in the Bukit Tigapuluh Ecosystem in Sumatra.
Ginting's herd foraging and dusting
From October 2022 to March 2023, the herd was active near human settlement areas of Semambu Village and Muara Sekalo Village, so the team was on high alert for potential conflict situations. Lately, Ginting’s herd has consisted of 15-25 elephants, and they often join with Indah’s herd. Ginting’s herd occupies a space of 107 km2 in human-active areas.
The ECMU team noted that several young bulls were observed moving in the area around Ginting’s herd. The movement of these male elephants contributed to the expansion of conflict-prone areas in the Semambu Village and Muara Sekalo Village areas.
Map showing Ginting's herd movement
In good news, several elephant calves were observed in Ginting’s herd. The presence of these calves makes the monitoring of these herds in conflict prone areas even more important since young elephant calves may get separated from the herd during conflict situations when there is confusion and elephants moving away from an area quickly.
The team recently captured this beautiful footage of Ginting and her herd as they forage and dust themselves. Elephants will cover their bodies with dirt and mud to provide protection from the sun and to repel pesky insects.
Thank you to Ginting's adopters for your support in keeping her herd safe.
(Program run by Ministry of Environment and Forestry and Frankfurt Zoological Society).
