Long-term impacts of poaching on relatedness, stress physiology, and reproductive output of adult female african elephants
Abstract
Widespread poaching prior to the 1989 ivory ban greatly altered the demographic structure of matrilineal African elephant (Loxodonta africana) family groups in many populations by decreasing the number of old, adult females. We assessed the long-term impacts of poaching by investigating genetic, physiological, and reproductive correlates of a disturbed social structure resulting from heavy poaching of an African elephant population in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania, prior to 1989. We examined fecal glucocorticoid levels and reproductive output among 218 adult female elephants from 109 groups differing in size, age structure, and average genetic relatedness over 25 months from 2003 to 2005. The distribution in group size has changed little since 1989, but the number of families with tusked old matriarchs has increased by 14.2%. Females from groups that lacked an old matriarch, first-order adult relatives, and strong social bonds had significantly higher fecal glucocorticoid values than those from groups with these features (all females R(2)= 0.31; females in multiadult groups R(2)= 0.46). Females that frequented isolated areas with historically high poaching risk had higher fecal glucocorticoid values than those in low poaching risk areas. Females with weak bonds and low group relatedness had significantly lower reproductive output (R(2)[U]=0.21). Females from disrupted groups, defined as having observed average group relatedness 1 SD below the expected mean for a simulated unpoached family, had significantly lower reproductive output than females from intact groups, despite many being in their reproductive prime. These results suggest that long-term negative impacts from poaching of old, related matriarchs have persisted among adult female elephants 1.5 decades after the 1989 ivory ban was implemented.
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Disruption in group composition from poaching in wild female African elephants has been associated with increased fGCM concentrations.
“Similarly, disruption in group composition from poaching in wild female African elephants has been associated with increased fGCM concentrations [76].”
From Socializing a group of male Asian elephants in a semi-captive facility in Lao PDR (2025) · cites this paper as [76]
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Socializing a group of male Asian elephants in a semi-captive facility in Lao PDR
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“Similarly, disruption in group composition from poaching in wild female African elephants has been associated with increased fGCM concentrations [76].”
- Authors
- GOBUSH, K. S., MUTAYOBA, B. M., & WASSER, S. K.
- Affiliations
- University of Washington (US)
- Sokoine University of Agriculture (TZ)
- Corresponding author
- GOBUSH, K. S.
- Venue
- Conservation Biology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2008-12
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1590-1599
- ISSN
- 0888-8892 (ISSN-L)
- 1523-1739
- OpenAlex
- W2074991527
- Cited by
- 180
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 8.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Conservation Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Ministry of Earth Sciences
- Ministry of Education, India
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Keywords
- elephant poaching, Loxodonta africana, fecal glucocorticoids, stress physiology, reproductive output, genetic relatedness, matrilineal social structure, matriarchs, group size, social bonds, ivory trade ban, Mikumi National Park
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Demography, Elephants, Feces, Female, Fertility, Glucocorticoids, Pedigree, Seasons, Stress, Physiological, Tanzania, Microsatellite Repeats
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