Sue

Sue is the first and only elephant collared inside the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park. After 22 days of fruitless trekking the length and breadth of the 4200 sq. km we approached the Mabalé Bai at about 15:30 hrs, a good time to encounter elephants, and felt our luck had to change. We could hear deep breathing and occasional splashing in the bai (bais are mineral rich forest clearings), and peering through the undergrowth as we approached, finally saw a magnificent bull, calmly drinking in the afternoon sun. Sharon Deem, a veterinarian with the field vet program of WCS, moved into position some 40m from the elephant and fired a dart into his rump. He flinched, but calmed down immediately, looked around the bai for a few seconds checking for potential danger. He saw none, but decided to amble out of the bai – presumably to be on the safe side.

The pygmies tracked him quietly and efficiently, and found him sleeping – snoring loudly – about 250m from the bai. Sharon quickly checked his health status – position good, breathing well, trunk clear. The collar was bolted on quickly, and we took blood, skin, and tick samples. Sharon injected him with the antidote, and he was on his feet in less than 3 minutes wearing a collar that we hoped would track his movements over 2 years or more. He was named that evening after the hero of the Johnny Cash song – A Boy Named Sue.

Unfortunately Sue’s collar lasted for only 9 months, however during that time told us some amazing things about his movements. For example, his use of Mabalé Bai was timed almost to the minute over long periods of time (left). Every morning before dawn, he would leave the bai and move into the surrounding forest to forage, and each night at right around midnight he would return. His movements over the course of a two-week period showed that his daily foraging loops gradually circled the bai, presumably to find fresh forage each day. During the time he was collared Sue rarely left the park, and occupied a relatively small home range of 677 sq.km.

To see Sue's ranging behavior click here: Sue's Map.