The influence of personality and cognition on savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana) behaviour

The conflict between human and animals will worsen as the human population increases. Strategies to help prevent such conflict often rely on blanket approaches across all individuals within a species. Yet, little research has been carried out to understand the individual motivation, and ultimately personality, of animals who actively approach human settlements. In Botswana, villages in the Mkgadikgadi pans suffer with frequent human-elephant conflict (HEC), as savannah elephants frequently cross the river from the National Park to crop-raid. Currently, local authorities are constructing fences along the park border. Determining if fences are likely to mitigate HEC, or if alternative solutions need to be implemented, is integral to prevent greater conflict arising in this area. As such, our project aims to quantify whether personality predicts the cognitive expression of African savannah elephants, as a tool to understand the individual idiosyncrasies of the elephants. Exposing the elephants to a puzzle-box featuring three doors: a push-door (easiest), a slide (medium difficulty) or pull-chain (hardest) to access a fruit reward, will assess both their personality (bold or shy in approaching and exploring the novel object), and problem-solving ability (which door do they access first, how many attempts to open them). We shall also assess if personality and problem-solving differs between: a) wild and captive savannah elephants, b) Asian and African elephants, and c) an individuals' response to the puzzle-box and fences. Overall, this predictive measure to determine how our elephants will react to the fences [novelty], will aid the development of tailored conservation strategies.