Elephant Conservation
African elephants are a keystone species and as such they have a disproportionally large effect on their environment relative to their abundance. They play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community, affecting many other organisms in an ecosystem and helping to determine the types and number of various other species in the community. Elephants shape the environment in which the live, creating grasslands for grazers, fertilizing the soil with their manure and digging holes that create access to water for other animals.
As such Shared Universe Ventures found it imperative that this iconic specie be re-introduced onto Mapesu Private Game Reserve. Although elephants occur in relative abundance in South Africa, elsewhere across the continent they are being poached at an alarming rate. An estimated 100 elephants are poached every day, 36,500 a year or 1 every 4 hours. The trend continues seemingly unabated and it is moving towards South Africa.
Towards the end of 2016, a herd of 7 elephants were moved to Mapesu Private Game Reserve where they are being monitored daily and tracked by the anti-poaching unit.
