South Africa has seen a recent increase in the number of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) maintained in reserves and parks and managed in free contact, where they may spend a significant amount of time in close proximity to humans. This study investigates how individual elephants choose to initiate interactions with humans by examining whether interaction types and frequencies vary both between elephants and with regards to the category of human involved in the interaction. Observations were made on a herd of seven captive African elephants frequently exposed to elephant handlers (guides), volunteers (who carry out general observations for the park’s research unit), and tourists. The elephants differed in the frequencies with which they initiated interactions with each category of human and in the types of behaviors they used to initiate interactions. However, all of the elephants interacted most frequently with guides. Certain individual elephants showed preferences in interacting with specific guides, indicating particular elephant-guide bonds. This study provides evidence for elephant-handler bonds as well as information on the extent of interactions between humans and African elephants managed in free contact.

Yawning is a widely recognized behavior in mammalian species. One would expect that elephants yawn, although to our knowledge, no one has reported observations of yawning in any species of elephant. After confirming a behavioral pattern matching the criteria of yawning in two Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in a zoological setting, this study was pursued with nine captive African elephants (Loxodonta africana) at a private reserve in the Western Cape, South Africa, the Knysna Elephant Park. Observations were made in June–September and in December. In the daytime, handlers managed seven of the elephants for guided interactions with visitors. At night, all elephants were maintained in a large enclosure with six having limited outdoor access. With infrared illumination, the elephants were continuously recorded by video cameras. During the nights, the elephants typically had 1–3 recumbent sleeping/resting bouts, each lasting 1–2 h. Yawning was a regular occurrence upon arousal from a recumbency, especially in the final recumbency of the night. Yawning was significantly more frequent in some elephants. Yawning was rare during the daytime and during periods of standing around in the enclosure at night. In six occurrences of likely contagious yawning, one elephant yawned upon seeing another elephant yawning upon arousal from a final recumbency; we recorded the sex and age category of the participants. The generality of yawning in both African and Asian elephants in other environments was documented in video recordings from 39 zoological facilities. In summary, the study provides evidence that yawning does occur in both African and Asian elephants, and in African elephants, yawning was particularly associated with arousal from nighttime recumbencies.

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Since , the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) has been helping early-career conservationists around the world gain experience, confidence and a support network in the conservation sector. To achieve its capacity-building objectives, CLP offers training, mentorship and networking opportunities to these rising stars in conservation, along with project funding to support their vital work to save globally threatened species. This year CLP is delighted to have reached a cumulative total of over USD  million of project funding awarded since , representing a significant landmark for the programme since it was first established  years ago. The landmark funding amount has supported a total of  vital conservation projects across the world, mainly based in developing countries in Africa, Asia & Pacific, Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Most of these projects have received grants through the annual CLP Team Awards, totalling c. USD . million to date. Other supported projects are CLP internships, in which young conservationists are placed within a CLP partner organization where they can gain valuable training and work experience to help advance their careers in conservation. Other projects have been funded through the Kate Stokes Memorial Award (an additional award specifically for CLP alumni) and past Research Fellowship Programmes. These CLP-funded projects have made key contributions to conservation worldwide, including new research findings to inform conservation efforts, the discovery of new species, the designation of protected sites, and the establishment of new NGOs. Many CLP alumni have gone on to lead successful careers in conservation. Current positions include the Head of Science at IUCN, Professor of Biodiversity at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Conservation Leadership and Education for Nature Program at WWF. This year, the CLP Team Awards is funding  projects with grants worth a combined total of USD ,, thanks to support from Arcadia-a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin. The funding will support critical projects across the world focused on saving a range of threatened species across various taxa. Additionally, the  Kate Stokes Memorial Award is supporting a project in Madagascar focused on educating and training local people to adopt sustainable forest management in Mangabe Reserve, an important refuge for threatened wildlife such as the Critically Endangered golden mantilla frog Mantella aurantiaca and indri lemur Indri indri. CLP has also supported three internships with Fauna & Flora International this year, including community forestry of mangroves in Myanmar, conservation of fruit-and-nut forests in Tajikistan, and marine protected area development and monitoring in Cambodia. CLP is already planning to add to this landmark in project funding when it announces the winners of the  Team Awards in April . To view a full list of the projects supported by CLP since it was established, visit conservation lead...