Amboseli Elephant Database

The main database (in Access) comprises visual on-the-ground sightings by (over the years) sixteen observers of (now) 53 elephants families (ca. 2000 known individuals) of the Amboseli elephant population from September 1972 until the present. Each record (n > 30,000) of the main table includes the following fields: date; time; daily record sequence; group type; location (by 1 km grid square and since 2000 by GPS UTM coordinate); habitat type at beginning and end of observation; group size; number of bulls; quality of the count; bull age classes; presence of musth males; presence of estrous females; activity of group; ID of observer; quality of individual recognition of females and males. Linked tables include: individual IDs; family IDs; habitat types; activity types; observer IDs. Ancillary databases include demography (dates of births, deaths, cause of death); rainfall (since 1972); watertable (since 1984); 10 vegetation plots; behavioral postures; digital photo IDs; vocalizations. Since 2002 a GIS database (in ArcInfo) has been maintained incorporating ca. 100 geographical, geo-physical, hydrological, vegetation and elephant distribution layers.