Individual Registration
Studying elephants individually over many years offers scientists a wealth of detailed information — beyond a population count — that cannot be captured with other survey methods. Information on location, group size, and behavior that are collected while observing individuals provides insights into social behavior, communication, and ecology. Demographic information allows scientists to know the age structure of the population, interval between calves, and age at first reproduction, data that can be used to model population growth rate. Population trends can then be tied to environmental conditions such as periods of higher or lower rainfall.