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An estimate of the numbers of forest elephants in Gabon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

R. F. W. Barnes ,
A. Blom ,
M. P. T. Alers  and
K. L. Barnes
R. F. W. Barnes*
Affiliation:
NZYS The Wildlife Conservation Society and Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, USA
A. Blom
Affiliation:
NZYS The Wildlife Conservation Society
M. P. T. Alers
Affiliation:
NZYS The Wildlife Conservation Society
K. L. Barnes
Affiliation:
NZYS The Wildlife Conservation Society
*
1Department of Biology, 0116, U.C. San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093–0116, USA (tel: 619–534–8863; fax: 619-534-7108).
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Abstract

The number of elephants living in the forests of Gabon was estimated by a stratified dung survey. The forest zone was stratified according to the distribution of the human population. The density of dung-piles was estimated for each stratum by the line-transect method. The total number of dung-piles in the forests of Gabon was estimated to be 52.43 × 106 ± 13.25 × 106. This gave an elephant estimate of 61,800 ±20,200. This survey shows Gabon to have one of the largest elephant populations on the continent.

Keywords

censuselephantsforestGabon
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , February 1995 , pp. 27 - 37
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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References

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