Sustainable solutions
for the coexistence
of wildlife and people
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Cave elephants and the indigenous Ogiek people
A small population of steppe elephants lives in the mountain rainforests of Mount Elgon in western Kenya. These animals are something very special. Not only do they live as steppe elephants in the mountain rainforest. They are also the only elephants in the world that engage in “mining.” In order to get salt and important minerals, they have been digging them from the cave walls of the extinct volcano for thousands of years, dug the caves hundreds of meters deeper into the mountain. Just a few decades ago the population was around 1,200 animals, roaming through the mountain forests on both the Kenyan and Ugandan sides. Due to massive poaching and conflicts with local farmers, the number fell to a few hundred, who are extremely shy, sometimes aggressive and therefore difficult to observe. Estimated numbers range from less than a hundred to around 375 animals. If this local population dies out, a very unique “culture” among African elephants will be lost. The knowledge of how to penetrate the pitch-dark caves to get the vital salt has been passed on to elephants for many generations. Elephants that are resettled, for example, would not have this knowledge and could hardly survive in the mineral-poor mountain forests.
