No other animal quite captures my imagination like the African elephant. Undoubtedly one of the main symbols of Africa, these graceful creatures hold a very special place in my heart. Naturally, I was beyond excited to visit the Addo Elephant National Park.
Having heard of this national park a lot growing up, I realised that I knew relatively little about the park. This however quickly changed as I was amazed at the story of Addo Elephant National Park, and how Addo’s elephants were saved from near extinction! Spoiler alert: This is a story of great success!😋
An unfortunate history
To fully understand the wonder of modern-day Addo, we must travel back to the late 1800s. A rich cultural history exists before this point, however for the Addo elephant story we will start here. During this time, commercial farming activities saw a rapid increase in the area. As is common with limited resources, competition started to increase. Soon a significant human-wildlife conflict developed between the farmers and the elephants. Both competed for limited water resources, and the elephants regularly raided the farm crops.
A negative public sentiment towards the elephants led to the farmers calling on the government to wipe out the elephant population. A large-scale hunting effort ensued and between 1919 and 1920, a staggering 114 elephants were hunted in just a year. The elephants of the Addo region faced a real and severe threat to their survival! At the height of this crisis a mere 11 elephants were present within the Addo region.
The critical turning points
I can just imagine how dire this situation had to look around the 1920s. Fortunately there were many members of the public who felt the same. The public sentiment began shifting through the influence of various determined community members and organisations. The first of two major turning points occurred in 1931. It was in this year that the Addo Elephant National Park was officially proclaimed as a national park.
Spanning just 2,000 hectares the park formed from humble beginnings. The goal was now to protect the remaining Addo elephants by giving them a space to thrive and reproduce, while decreasing the human-wildlife conflict in the area.
Unfortunately, this was not immediately the case! Another problem arose namely an inadequate fencing system. Over the coming years, the elephants continued to break out from the park. The main objectives could not happen for as long as the elephants could not be kept safely within the park.
We now go a bit further to 1954, where we find the second critical turning point for the Addo elephants. The park manager at the time was Graham Armstrong. He made it his mission to solve the fencing problem and invented what would come to be known as the Armstrong fence. Using discarded railway rails and steel elevator cables, he erected a fence around the park which proved strong enough to mostly keep the elephants in. The 22 elephants in the park at this time could now begin to contribute to the rebuild of the Addo elephant population.
The modern day Addo Elephant National Park
Visiting Addo in 2026, it is almost impossible to comprehend the small beginnings of this national park. Addo has evolved from being established to conserve one species to being a beacon of biodiversity hope for the fauna and flora of the Eastern Cape region. Spanning more than 180,000 hectares, the park is now the third largest national park within South Africa! The elephant population has also grown to more than 600 individuals!
Further to this, the park incorporates 5 different biomes of South Africa. One of these include the highly threatened Albany thicket, known for its multitude of spekboom. This variety of habitats sustains a host of different animal species, including the ‘Big 5’. A special dung beetle is endemic to the area and is known as the Addo flightless dung beetle.
In 2019, the park had a unique expansion with the declaration of the Addo Elephant National Park Marine Protected Area (MPA). This MPA is located within the Algoa Bay and makes the national park a ‘Big 7’ park with the addition of Southern Right Whales and Great White Sharks. The critically endangered African penguins also benefit within the MPA through the no fishing zones found within this area. Addo has well and truly grown into a conservation hub!
Lessons from Addo
Visiting this truly special place got me thinking about some lessons which we can learn from this conservation success story. I would like to share these with you.
- Conservation success is not instant: Real change takes time! But the best time to start is today. When Addo was proclaimed, initial progress was slow and many problems were present. Today Addo is a product of all processes and work done over the past 95 years.
- Conservation cannot be seen in isolation: The problems which lead to the elephant decline in Addo were varied and complex. For Addo to be protected a solution had to be found which incorporates all three pillars of sustainability namely social, economic and environmental. A holistic approach is always needed.
- Innovation is needed: Complex problems require innovative solutions. Seeing as each conservation situation is different, a different solution will often be needed. Just think of the fencing situation in the early Addo park. A complex problem was solved with an innovative solution!
I am truly inspired after visiting Addo. Learning more about the turbulent history and where the park is today demonstrates the power of collective action and the tangible conservation effects of change. I cannot wait for my next visit to Addo. May we all be inspired by this success story and have our hope renewed that even dire situations in our natural world can be turned around.
Be filled with nature!
Willem🐍
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