Taphonomic Studies of Elephant Mortality in Zimbabwe

Abstract

In an effort to develop guidelines for paleoecological interpretetations of mortality among extinct proboscideans, the author has been gathering data on demography of drought-killed elephants and those culled in Zimbabwe's national parks since 1981. Included here are preliminary figures on average ages of animals in cull and die-off samples as well as some scientific data in addition to the revenue obtained from sale of elephant ivory, skin and meat.