Elephants play a critical role in the ecosystem. Elephants are extraordinarily manipulative and vagile mammalian megaherbivores. The functional niche of elephants is unique in terms of the highly catholic nature of the diet and spatial extent of the effective foraging zones. Forest elephants are believed to be the principal or sole extant seed-dispersal agent for several economically important African rain forest trees. Elephants travel 20 – 50km a day. Can you imagine, a potential dispersal distance of 20 to 30 km can be predicted for elephant-dispersed seeds within Hwange National Park. The seeds and partially digested plant matter present within elephant dung are utilized by numerous species of vertebrate and invertebrate animals as a forage or foraging substrate.
Several species of birds and mammals (e.g., guinea fowl, francolin, banded mongoose, and baboon) systematically target elephant dung piles as foraging patches. Lizards, toads, and frogs are discovered within or under elephant dung piles. The ecological functions of elephant dung are not limited to its role as a vehicle for the dispersal of plant seeds. The redistribution of plant biomass in elephant dung, coupled with the utilization of elephant dung by other organisms, indicates that the dung of elephants serves as a keystone resource for wildlife communities inhabiting the semiarid woodland landscapes of southern central Africa. Don’t kill elephants they are important. #Protectwildanimals
