A Month with the Elephants Elephants in South Africa’s Addo
Elephant National Park Photo by Erin Dowgwillo So you want to
save elephants? In fall 2009, Erin Dowgwillo helped do just
that. Dowgwillo, a zookeeper at the Milwaukee County Zoo,
studied elephants and black rhinos in South Africa’s Addo
Elephant National Park. From observing the park’s elephants at
waterholes to analyzing elephant poop samples in a makeshift
field office, Dowgwillo kept a photo diary of her trip. See her
pictures in the photo slide show below (Zoological Society
members can also read about Dowgwillo in the spring/summer issue
of Alive magazine.) Dowgwillo’s work is part of an ongoing
research project led by Dr. Elizabeth Freeman, a scientist at
the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. For more on her
work, and links to other resources, see below. - This research
summary on the Smithsonian National Zoo Web site talks about the
challenges and the importance of breeding elephants in zoos. -
If you’re curious about the science a