African Elephant Conservation in South Africa: 2026 Guide

Last reviewed July 2026. Conservation data changes — see the cited sources for the latest figures.

Quick answer: African elephant conservation in South Africa

South Africa's elephants are African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana), classified as Endangered by the IUCN. The species declined by at least 60% across Africa over the 50 years covered by the IUCN assessment, although some southern African populations—including major populations in South Africa—were reported as stable or increasing in the 2016 African Elephant Status Report.

South Africa therefore represents an important conservation stronghold, not a problem that has been solved. Protection in Kruger National Park, Addo Elephant National Park, Tembe Elephant Park and connected transfrontier landscapes must continue to address illegal killing, habitat fragmentation, drought, changing land use and conflict with people.

Why elephant conservation matters in South Africa

African elephants are now recognised as two species rather than one: the savanna elephant is Endangered and the forest elephant is Critically Endangered. South Africa supports savanna elephants; the forest elephant occurs in the rainforests of western and central Africa, not in South Africa.

The distinction matters because continent-wide statistics can conceal very different local realities. The IUCN cautions that some elephant subpopulations are thriving, and that conservation policy must be informed by local knowledge and site-level conditions. A national or continental headline cannot, by itself, explain what is happening in Kruger, Addo, Tembe or a private reserve.

South Africa is especially important within the southern African elephant range. The IUCN's 2016 assessment reported that more than 70% of Africa's estimated elephants lived in Southern Africa, where only savanna elephants occur. The same assessment said that major populations in Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe were stable or increasing at that time, while also warning that Southern Africa was facing an emerging poaching threat.

The available research supplied for this 2026 guide does not provide a new, single national elephant population estimate for South Africa. That limitation is important: responsible conservation writing should not present an old continental estimate as a current South African census. The IUCN's 2016 status report estimated approximately 415,000 elephants across Africa using the most recent reliable continental estimate then available.

The main threats to elephants in South Africa

Poaching and illegal ivory trade

Poaching caused sharp declines in both African elephant species after 2008, with poaching pressure peaking in 2011 but continuing to threaten populations. The continental picture was uneven: the IUCN reported that poaching had not affected Southern Africa as severely as some other regions, yet identified a growing threat in the south and recorded population declines in Mozambique and parts of Zimbabwe.

South Africa's location within a wider regional landscape means that national borders do not define the conservation problem. Elephants can move across large areas, and the IUCN highlighted the importance of coordinated monitoring for transfrontier populations such as the Greater Limpopo landscape and the wider KAZA region. Anti-poaching work therefore involves more than patrols inside one reserve; it also requires intelligence, protected-area management, cross-border cooperation and reliable population monitoring.

Illegal killing is not only a direct loss of individual animals. Removing mature elephants can affect family groups and the age structure of a population, although the supplied research does not quantify these effects specifically for South Africa. The most defensible conclusion is that effective protection must prevent killing while maintaining long-term data on elephant numbers, distribution and movements.

Habitat loss and fragmentation

Habitat conversion—especially for agriculture and other land uses—is one of the major threats identified by the IUCN. In South Africa, the conservation challenge includes maintaining usable habitat and movement routes between protected areas while managing a landscape also occupied by people, farms, roads and other forms of development.

The 2009 African Elephant Conservation Fund project in northern Kruger illustrates why movement data matters. In partnership with Save the Elephants, the project supported tracking collars for 12 elephants to identify corridors and range use in northern Kruger and inform planning for the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area. The example is historical, but its conservation principle remains relevant: decisions about fences, land use and protected-area connectivity should be based on evidence of how elephants use the landscape.

Human-elephant conflict

When elephants and people use the same landscape, conflict can arise around crops, water, infrastructure and movement routes. The research identifies human-elephant conflict as one of the principal threats to African forest elephants and describes habitat modification and conflict as threats requiring holistic responses and close collaboration with local communities. Although that report focuses on forest elephants, the underlying conservation lesson is applicable to savanna-elephant management: enforcement alone cannot resolve conflicts created by land-use pressure.

South African conservation planning therefore needs to consider both elephant protection and the safety, livelihoods and rights of communities living near elephant range. Measures should be evaluated locally rather than assumed to work everywhere. The IUCN specifically emphasises local knowledge when translating continent-wide assessments into policy.

Drought and a changing climate

Drought can alter where elephants travel, how long they remain in particular areas and how much pressure they place on limited water and vegetation. Research using long-term GPS data has examined how African elephants change habitat selection and space use across different drought timescales, reflecting the need to understand behaviour during increasingly variable dry conditions.

The supplied research does not provide a South Africa-specific drought mortality figure or a national forecast for elephant populations. It does support a more measured conclusion: water availability, vegetation condition, movement corridors and conflict risk should be monitored together, particularly during prolonged dry periods. Adaptation should be based on local ecological data rather than a one-size-fits-all intervention.

What is being done to conserve elephants?

Protected-area management and anti-poaching

National parks and other well-managed protected areas remain central to elephant conservation. In South Africa, the research specifically references Kruger National Park, Addo Elephant National Park and Tembe Elephant Park. Effective management combines law enforcement with ecological monitoring, habitat planning and relationships with neighbouring communities.

The supplied sources do not provide verified 2026 South African ranger numbers, arrest totals, seizure figures or poaching reductions. Those statistics should not be borrowed from other countries or from unrelated species. Instead, travellers and publishers should look for current reporting from the relevant park authority, conservation agency or independently reviewed programme before repeating claims about anti-poaching performance.

For wider context, IUCN Rapid Action Grants supported a threatened-species and community-conservation project at Tembe Elephant Park from January 2022 to November 2023. The same grants report also supported monitoring and management work associated with the Addo Elephant National Park marine protected area. These entries demonstrate the value of targeted conservation funding, but they do not establish a national elephant population trend or prove that every intervention has produced the same result.

Tracking, surveys and transfrontier conservation

Elephant conservation depends on knowing where animals are and how their distribution changes. The IUCN describes regular monitoring and analysis as essential for recognising threats, targeting action and assessing whether conservation measures work.

Collars, aerial surveys and other monitoring tools can identify corridors, seasonal movements and areas where elephants overlap with people. The earlier northern Kruger collar project was designed to contribute to the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, showing how research can connect local management with a broader cross-border plan.

At continental scale, the IUCN reported uncertainty around the size of the KAZA transfrontier elephant population and called for coordinated surveys. KAZA is not a South African population estimate, but the issue is relevant to South African conservation because elephants and conservation priorities extend across political boundaries.

Community-centred conservation

Community participation is not an optional addition to elephant conservation. The IUCN's forest-elephant status report states that poaching, conflict and habitat modification must be addressed holistically, with close collaboration from local communities and up-to-date data. The principle is also reflected in African Parks' description of its elephant work: the organisation combines stopping poaching and reducing human-elephant conflict with efforts to ensure local communities benefit from elephants.

South African programmes should therefore be judged not only by patrol activity or elephant sightings, but also by whether they build credible local partnerships, reduce conflict and make conservation benefits visible and fairly distributed. The research supplied here does not quantify those benefits for South Africa, so claims about jobs, household income or tourism revenue should be checked against programme-specific evidence.

Results and setbacks: a balanced assessment

What the evidence shows	What it means for South Africa
The African savanna elephant is Endangered, after a modelled decline of at least 60% over 50 years across Africa.	South Africa's relatively strong populations do not remove the species' continental extinction risk.
Major populations in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe were reported as stable or increasing in the IUCN's 2016 assessment.	Southern Africa has important conservation successes, but the evidence is not a current national census.
Southern Africa has faced an emerging poaching threat, while declines were observed in Mozambique and some areas of Zimbabwe.	Regional cooperation and vigilance remain necessary; threats can shift geographically.
Collar-based work in northern Kruger was intended to identify corridors and inform Great Limpopo planning.	Connectivity and movement data are important components of long-term management.
Tembe Elephant Park received support for a threatened-species and community-conservation project between 2022 and 2023.	Targeted grants can support site-based work, but one grant is not evidence of national recovery.

The overall picture is cautiously positive for some South African populations but uncertain in detail. South Africa has protected landscapes and a history of elephant conservation capacity, yet elephants remain exposed to regional ivory trafficking, habitat pressure, conflict and climate-related stress. Conservation success must be measured over time and at the level of individual landscapes, not inferred from a single safari season or a single national headline.

How tourism can support elephant conservation

Well-managed tourism can create a reason to maintain protected areas and can help connect visitors with conservation realities. However, the research supplied for this article does not provide a verified percentage of South African safari fees that reaches elephant conservation. Travellers should therefore avoid assuming that every lodge, park or operator contributes equally.

Before booking, ask who manages the reserve, whether conservation or community levies are itemised, how wildlife monitoring is conducted and whether the operator publishes credible impact information. Choose guides and lodges that keep appropriate distances, follow park rules and do not encourage crowding around elephants.

Travellers can book conservation-supporting safaris on SafariFind, while comparing the operator's conservation claims with information from the relevant park authority or programme. For practical planning, SafariFind's Safari South Africa Kruger Park guide can help with route and operator considerations, and its South Africa safari best-time guide covers seasonal planning.

How travellers can help responsibly

• Choose ethical wildlife viewing: follow guide instructions, remain at safe distances and never pressure drivers to approach or block elephants.
• Support transparent operators: ask how conservation fees, donations or community partnerships work before booking.
• Do not buy ivory: avoid ivory products and be cautious about wildlife souvenirs whose legality or origin is unclear. Poaching for ivory remains a major continental threat.
• Respect local communities: select businesses that describe community partnerships accurately rather than using vague claims about benefits.
• Value monitoring: understand that conservation is not only about sightings; surveys, collars, ranger work, land-use planning and conflict prevention are also essential.
• Share verified information: do not repeat outdated population totals or unsupported claims about poaching reductions.

For travellers considering a wider itinerary, a guide to affordable South Africa safari packages from the United States can be useful for comparing costs without treating the cheapest trip as automatically the most sustainable. Conservation quality, local benefit and responsible wildlife conduct should be part of the comparison.

Conclusion

South Africa is one of the most important countries for African savanna elephant conservation, but its comparatively stable populations should be understood as a responsibility rather than a guarantee. The evidence points to the value of protected areas, anti-poaching, movement monitoring, transfrontier planning and community collaboration.

The most reliable 2026 approach is specific and evidence-led: ask which park or landscape a claim refers to, check the date of the data, distinguish South African evidence from continental statistics and support tourism providers that can explain their conservation partnerships. Elephant conservation will depend on maintaining that long-term, locally informed work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are African elephants endangered in South Africa?

Yes. South Africa's elephants are African savanna elephants, a species classified as Endangered by the IUCN. Some southern African populations have been stable or increasing, but the species has suffered a major continental decline and remains exposed to poaching and habitat pressure.

How many elephants are there in South Africa in 2026?

The supplied research does not provide a verified 2026 national population estimate for South Africa. The IUCN's 2016 report estimated about 415,000 elephants across Africa, not South Africa alone.

Where can I see elephants in South Africa?

The research specifically references Kruger National Park, Addo Elephant National Park and Tembe Elephant Park as South African conservation landscapes associated with elephants or elephant-related work.

What are the biggest threats to elephants in South Africa?

The principal concerns are illegal killing for ivory, habitat loss and fragmentation, human-elephant conflict and climate-related pressure such as drought. The intensity of each threat varies by landscape.

Is poaching still a threat to elephants in South Africa?

Yes. The IUCN reported that Southern Africa had experienced less poaching impact than some other regions but warned of an emerging poaching threat.

How does Kruger National Park help elephant conservation?

Kruger supports elephant conservation as a large protected landscape and has been the focus of movement research. A project supported tracking collars for 12 elephants in northern Kruger to identify corridors and inform Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park planning.

Can a safari help elephant conservation in South Africa?

A safari can support conservation when it uses well-managed parks or reserves, follows responsible wildlife-viewing rules and provides transparent information about conservation or community contributions. The supplied research does not establish one standard tourism contribution rate for South Africa.

What should I ask a safari operator about elephant conservation?

Ask who manages the reserve, whether conservation or community fees are itemised, how elephant monitoring is conducted, how human-elephant conflict is addressed and whether the operator reports verifiable outcomes.

Are elephants in South Africa forest elephants or savanna elephants?

They are African savanna elephants, Loxodonta africana. The African forest elephant, Loxodonta cyclotis, occurs in the rainforests of western and central Africa.

Why are elephant corridors important?

Corridor research helps identify how elephants use landscapes and can inform decisions about transfrontier conservation, land use and potential conflict areas. Northern Kruger collar work was designed for this purpose.