Uganda is not only home to the African Savanna Elephants but also to its smaller brother – the African Forest Elephant.

Most likely you will not see the differences unless you pay close attention – they have 5 toes on their front feet and four the back ones.  They have a covering of hair and are gray in color.

They have smaller tusks and they are more straight and point downwards so that they can navigate around the tropical rainforest jungles of West and Central Africa – but you can also find them in Uganda, there are native ones and the migrant ones that enter through a wildlife corridor from the Democratic Republic into Ishasha region of Queen Elizabeth Park and extends as far as Kibale Forest.

Even though the Forest Elephants are smaller than their Savannah Cousins they are still massive and weigh up to three tons – the length of their body is between 3 and 4 meters.  They have large rounded ears.  When you come across them in the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Mgahinga Gorilla Park and Kibale Forest, they are a sight to behold – if you have a good guide they can even point out their trails that the Forest Elephants set up and lead to their watering holes and grazing areas.  Forest Elephants will feed on large quantities of grass, leaves, fruit and other vegetation.  They will also dig into the soil in search of mineral salts.  As far as a drink, they can take draw in up to 15 liters of water at once.

Forest Elephant Tusks are of the highest quality and they favored by Ivory Poachers because the ivory is harder and yet retains its elastic qualities – unfortunately poaching is rampant in the Democratic Republic of Congo and on the increase in Uganda and Elephants are killed for their ivory and that includes Forest Elephants.

This kind of Elephants communicate with one another over long distances through calls that most often are too low to be heard by humans.  As far as living in harmony with the forest – these elusive animals of the forest can cause much more destructive manage than their Savannah cousins – taking down trees, digging up the ground, destroying the underbrush for their trails.

Forest Elephants can breed any time of the year – the gestation period is 22 months in length and normally give birth to a single Forest Elephant calf. As far as predators are concerned – the main ones are humans, both poachers and those who encroach into the parks destroying the Forest Elephants habitat.

Best Places to see the African Forest Elephants. The best park to see them is Kibale Forest, but you might spot them other parks  such as Rwenzori Mountain Foothills, Mgahinga Gorilla Park, Semliki Park, Mount Elgon, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and definitely in the Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth Park.  The Forest Elephants of Uganda – another reason to visit the Pearl of Africa…#happy #WorldElephantDay #tour #travel #explore #adventure #www.ssemambotours.com