This interactive module explores methods used to survey large animal populations, and what they have revealed about the current state of the African elephant population.

African elephants provide a powerful case study for how science can inform conservation. Knowing how many elephants are left and where they live is important in devising strategies to protect them. In this Click & Learn, students consider the advantages and disadvantages of different methods and approaches that scientists use to measure and monitor elephant populations.  

The accompanying worksheet guides students’ exploration.

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.