Estimating forest elephant density in Sapo National Park (Liberia) with a rainfall model |
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| Authors: | R F W Barnes Andrew Dunn |
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| Institution: | Africa Program, Conservation International, Washington DC, USA;;Biology Division, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA;;20 Holmlands Park, Sunderland, UK |
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| Abstract: | The number of elephant dung‐piles lying on the forest floor is a function of the number of elephants present and the rainfall in the 2 preceding months. We present the results of a stochastic model that describes this relationship and we show how it can be used to estimate elephant numbers. The data from a survey in Sapo NP (Liberia) in 1989 are used as an example. The dung‐pile density was estimated at 152 km?2 with confidence interval from 72 to 322, and the number of elephants was estimated to be 313 with confidence interval from 172 to 617. |
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| Keywords: | dung elephants forest Liberia rainfall |
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