An estimate of the numbers of forest elephants in Gabon

The number of elephants living in the forests of Gabon was estimated by a stratified dung survey. The forest zone was stratified according to the distribution of the human population. The density of dung-piles was estimated for each stratum by the line-transect method. The total number of dung-piles in the forests of Gabon was estimated to be 52.43 × 106± 13.25 × 106. This gave an elephant estimate of 61,800 ±20,200. This survey shows Gabon to have one of the largest elephant populations on the continent.