Structure of population, grouping patterns and density of forest elephants in north‐west Congo

Summary The structure of the population of forest elephants visiting a clearing in north‐west Congo was studied over 8 months. Out of 3314 sightings, 629 elephants were identified (including 64%, of adults). The sex ratio was about 1:1. The number of offspring per female was 1.12. Solitary elephants (91.4%, of males) made up 35% of the population. Of females, 93.6% were grouped. Groups (mean size 3.5) included females and offspring (3.4), males and females (5.0), or males only (2.3). The return rate of elephants at the clearing suggested that up to 1900 individuals have visited the clearing. This confirms that elephant densities are especially high in north Congo.