Fence removal helps elephants range farther and stress less in South Africa

A peer-reviewed study at Kariega Game Reserve in South Africa found that removing an internal fence improved elephant behavior, lowered stress and did not increase vegetation damage. The findings add scientific support for corridor creation and fence removal as alternatives to culling in fenced reserves.

Why it matters: - The study suggests elephant conservation can improve by giving animals more space instead of cutting numbers. - Lower stress, less aggression and wider movement could improve elephant welfare, reserve safety and tourism value. - The results support South Africa’s broader push for connected landscapes and wildlife corridors.

What happened: - Researchers removed Kariega Game Reserve’s main internal fence in January 2024. - The change opened a shared landscape to 75 elephants across five matriarchal herds. - Scientists tracked the elephants for three years and published the findings in Ecology and Evolution. - The study tested how fence removal affected behavior, stress, movement and vegetation.

The details: - The research used GPS collars on herd leaders, 607 behavioral observation sessions, fecal hormone analysis and satellite vegetation assessment from August 2022 through mid-2025. - Elephant aggression fell 20% below pre-removal levels within 300 days. - Social behaviors rose 66% after the fence came down. - Elephants moved almost twice as much and spent less time foraging, which matched more exploratory behavior. - Faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations, a stress-related measure, declined significantly after fence removal with p = 0.008. - The stress result held after accounting for sex, age, season, temperature and rainfall. - One matriarch’s home range more than doubled, from about 1,280 hectares to 3,291 hectares. - Satellite NDVI analysis found no greater vegetation degradation in elephant-occupied areas than in non-elephant control sections. - The paper is titled Fence Removal Enhances Elephant Movement and Promotes Behavioural, Physiological and Ecological Functioning. - The study was published open access in Ecology and Evolution in 2026, Vol. 16, e73619, DOI: 10.1002/ece3.73619. - The work involved the Kariega Game Reserve and Kariega Foundation, with support from Bring The Elephant Home, the Elephant Reintegration Trust and the Elephant Conservation and Research Fund. - Funding came from Abri voor Dieren, Bring The Elephant Home and the Petchra Pra Jom Klao Scholarship.

Between the lines: - The findings challenge reserve management models that rely on fences and intensive population control. - The data point to connectivity, not culling, as a practical way to reduce pressure on elephants and landscapes. - Kariega sits inside a corridor area tied to SANParks’ 2040 vision for links between Addo Elephant National Park and Mountain Zebra National Park. - The study provides rare peer-reviewed evidence at the level of individual elephants showing what connectivity can change. - One researcher said the results show there are not too many elephants, but not enough space. - The same researcher said corridor creation and fence removal should help natural ecological processes function as intended. - Another co-author said range expansion is a more ethical alternative to population control and supports resilience, ecotourism and long-term conservation. - The study also noted an initial spike in aggression after fence removal, mostly between elephants, before behavior settled below pre-removal levels.

What’s next: - South Africa’s biodiversity goals and SANParks’ corridor plans may gain more support from the Kariega results. - Reserve managers could use the findings to weigh fence removal and connectivity against culling and other intensive interventions. - Conservation groups are likely to push harder for linked landscapes where elephants can move more freely.

The bottom line: - The study argues that elephant health improves when landscapes open up, and that more space may solve more problems than fewer elephants.