Addo Elephants - A History of Their Struggle

The Elephants of Addo National Park in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa have a history of struggle.

Their story is one of survival despite trauma and mass slaughter during the early part of the last century. As their home, the Sundays River Valley, developed into one of the most bountiful fruit growing areas in Southern Africa, the herd of elephants that remained in the area were considered a nuisance and a danger. Through systematic slaught the herd was almost extinguished, but by the 1930’s these beautiful giants had finally found refuge and a home. With the help of visionary conservationists they were slowly able to rebuild their lives and overcome their broken past. The path to peace however, was a rocky one.

BEGINNING OF THE END

As the century turned from the 1800’s to the 1900’s most of the big game in the Eastern Cape Province had been killed. The last lion was taken out in 1879 and in 1880 the one remaining rhino was shot. Of all the elephants that had roamed these hills and plains, a herd of 140 remained.

MASS MURDER

The former home and feeding grounds of the remaining herd were now fruit orchards and elephants were not welcome. Misplaced, these beasts caused havoc, crashing through farm lands and into villages, confused and hungry. Hysterical locals and farmers in the area called for government intervention and in 1919 Major P. J. Pretorius was given the job to finish off the herd once and for all. He took to the task with a vengeance and within two years managed to kill 114 and sell two of the calves to Boswell’s Circus, where elephants are still being used to this day. Fortunately news of the slaughter leaked out causing an outcry which drew an end to the killing with just 16 of the remaining herd still alive.

SAFETY

The Harvey Brothers who were farming in the area at the time took mercy on the animals and provided a place of shelter on their farmland for the remaining elephants. Having lost so much these petrified, traumatised beasts huddled together deep in the thick bush of this sanctuary.

ADDO PARK CREATED

Needing to formalise the safety of the elephants the government proclaimed Strathmore and Mentone Forest Reserve, which covered 4283 hectares of land in the area as Elephant Land and in 1931, just six years later, the Addo Elephant National Park was founded. Moving the elephants off the Harvey land and into the Reserve was more difficult than anyone had anticipated as the elephants, still suffering the atrocities of their past refused to going anywhere.

VUKANI

Stephen Trollope, an experienced ranger from Kruger National Park was transferred to Addo to help with the situation. Using cries of ‘Vukani’- meaning, ‘wake-up’ he managed to arouse the Addo rangers to action and earned himself the nick-name ‘Vukani’ for life. Trollope engaged in neighbourly negotiations with surrounding land-owners, provided water for the elephants and with his now ‘freshly aroused team’ was able to herd the elephants across into their new home. Keeping them there however turned out to be yet another daunting task.

CHAOS

The elephants struggled to settle. They rampaged through all forms of fencing especially during prickly pear season and were continuing to be shot or killed while crossing the near-by railway line leaving the people and elephants of the area, still under threat. In order to contain the animals within the protected area a feeding programme was introduced. The Orange and Pineapple Co-Ops donated tons of fruit which was regularly loaded onto trucks and dropped off in The Park. During the 70’s up to 30 tons of fruit was being donated per year over the winter months and feeding became a tourist attraction. The elephants still unsettled, rushed after the trucks, screaming and charging and fighting for the fruit. Once in the feeding area they would refuse to leave even after the food was finished. Eventually they would be herded off with the help of stones and shots. The incredible stress that this was causing the elephants was acknowledged and fortunately corresponded with improved fencing methods (still in use today) and The Park’s expansion. By the end of the 1970’s this feeding programme was stopped.

PEACE

Up until recently visitors to the park were discouraged from bringing in citrus fruit in-case the elephants caught a whiff and resumed their old ways. Elephants can live up to 70 plus years so who knows what they still remember?

Today Addo holds sanctuary to over 550 elephants and hosts the Big 7 – Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant, Rhino, Whale and White Shark covering over 260 000 hectares of African bush and coast-line. Falling under the Sanspark umbrella it is now the third largest National Park in South Africa.

While watching the Addo elephants up close from the safety of one’s vehicle it is hard to imagine that these beautiful, serene beasts descend from the traumatised and damaged group of the past. For this family it has been a long journey home.