Spatial and temporal habitat use of elephants in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania: Using a combination of optical and microwave remote sensing, field-collected vegetation structure data, and data on elephant (Loxondonta africana) movements and habitat use obtained through satellite telemetry, this study aims to 1) further understanding of elephant-habitat interactions at multiple spatial and temporal scales in both natural and human-dominated landscapes, and 2) quantify the impact of elephants on savanna vegetation structure through time series analysis of the remotely-sensed data.

The images above show the knock-down and radio collering of elephant in Tansania. Also pictured here is the removal of a snare from the leg of a young male elephant. Snares are used by poachers througout the region to illegally capture game, and elephants are sometimes the unwitting victims. The wire loops wrap around their legs, slowly cutting off circulation leading to loss of limb and sometimes death. Here Anna and her team remove a wire snare and treat the elephant with antibiotics. As you can see, the wire was embedded deep in the elephant's leg. Luckily, he recovered.