Abstract:
The African savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana) migrate in landscapes with patchily distrib uted food resources in semi-arid environments. GPS collar data in combination with the Minimum
Convex Polygon approach (100% MCP) can be utilised to investigate elephant home ranges and
spatial ecology. Mapping of suitable habitats in landscapes with isolated and patchy resources
housing threatened and endangered species like the African savannah elephant is critical for
conservation of their natural habitat. This study aimed to: (i) investigate the seasonal ranging
patterns of the African savannah elephants and (ii) model the preferred habitat of the African
savannah elephants in Mana Pools National Park (MNP) in Zimbabwe. Minimum Convex Polygon
method was employed to delineate elephant home ranges and the MaxEnt algorithm was used to
model their habitat preferences. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the size of the
home ranges across all the three demarcated seasons (wet, transitional and dry). Elephant habitat
preference is mainly driven by the presence, quantity and quality of palatable vegetation close to
the Zambezi River in the Mana Pools National Park. GPS telemetry provides smart data for under standing elephant behaviour and movement patterns in semi-arid e
