Constant

On 24th August 2016, Peter Brothers and his Veterinary Safaris Team, saw Constant and her Bond Group, total 11, on the Pongola Nature Reserve (PNR), South Africa.

The Bond Group moved then between the PNR and our other neighbours’ Reserve frequently, often unnoticed by the safari teams. The plan was for the PBV Safaris Team to help re-collar Constant and at the same time have a look at her old re-curing foot injury which occasionally caused Constant to limp with some visible discomfort. Her family seemed to have gotten used to this occasional occurrence as they seem to slow down their movements so that Constant could always catch up.

The team noticed Constant was in fact not wearing her collar any more at all; possibly lost… The Bond Group approached the shore, drank and cooled themselves down. On 25th, with access grant by PNR management, Constant was located with a chopper. The immobilization went very well; all was very well organised and professional work done by all involved.

Constant, one of the female Elephants Heike Zitzer from SYE monitors, was collared years back but the signal disappeared one day.  The inspection in the region of the old scar that had in years before been treated by Dr Heinz when she started having problems, did not bring forth any foreign bodies nor was there any infection. The collar was also successfully re-attached to Constant’s neck.

Photo copyright and text: Heike Zitzer