Women in conservation are at the forefront of impactful conversations around conservation. Here, we chat to Elephant Expert, Dr Joyce Poole, who is a renowned world authority on elephant reproductive, communicative and cognitive behaviour.
Ahead of Earth Day, National Geographic invited us on a media bush trip where he had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in nature. We were hosted at Ivory Tree Game Lodge, and this much needed break from the city also served as a reality check. The screening of Secrets Of The Elephants gave us insight into the lives of these intelligent mammals.
We took a moment to engage women in conservation about their impactful work. One such phenomenal woman is Dr Joyce Poole, a leading voice for the protection and wellbeing of elephants. Her documentation of the damage wrought on elephant societies by poaching was instrumental to the 1989 ban on international trade in ivory. She has been an expert witness in numerous elephant cruelty cases, is lead author of The Elephant Charter and an outspoken critic of the capture of elephants for captivity. Her African elephant discoveries include: the phenomenon and patterns of musth; infrasonic and long-distance communication; vocal imitation; documentation of elephant vocal and gestural repertoires and of elephant cognitive abilities.
Glamour: Please talk to us about the work you do around Elephant voices?
Dr Poole: I’ve studied elephants since 1975 mainly in Amboseli National Park in Kenya. I then met my husband who has a background in corporate communications, and he felt it was important to take what we learned about elephants and make it available for people, so we set up a website and eventually set up an organization called Elephant Voices. Our mission is to study the behaviour and communication of elephants but also to act as a voice for elephants.
Glamour: What surprised you most about elephants at the beginning of your career?
Dr Poole: Oh, they still surprise me! They’re so socially complex, and in a way they’re so like us in terms of their families, close bonds and their emotional side. And they’re so mysterious in a way because they’re so enormous and have these trunks that act as a nose and a hand…you name it, it can do anything. They hear sounds we can’t hear, and communicate with voices we partially can’t hear, they can pick up scents that we have no idea about as well as vibrations through the ground.
Glamour: What else would you like people to know when communicating and interacting with elephants?
Dr Poole: When we’re studying elephants, on the one hand, it’s familiar because they’re family oriented and yet so mysterious on the other hand. You learn that it’s important to know individuals; that this is the mother or sister of this particular elephant. This allows you to pick up certain patterns so you know they only interact a certain way with their mothers, sisters or the matriarch. And then you can compensate for sounds you don’t hear and the scents they pick up but you can’t, you start to read their body language to know that they know that someone is behind them and are concerned about it for example. Just like us humans, when we’re speaking with someone, like I am with you, I’m studying the expression on your face, your body posture etc. Studying elephants is the same, you just have to get into a different mindset.
Glamour: In a situation where you’re in their space and would like to build rapport with them, how would you go about building that relationship?
Dr Poole: It’s important to let the elephants know that you understand their signals. For instance, I’ve worked with elephants that are very habituated to people but also those that are angry with people and afraid of them. In Gorongosa National Park where they went through a civil war and they were traumatized. 90% of the population was killed so in that situation, it was important to let them know that we understood what they were expressing. For instance, if they suddenly looked alarmed, we immediately turned off the engine and sat quietly. If they start to charge, we immediately turn off the engine again to affirm to them that we would stop doing whatever it is that was bothering them. They learn that if they’re threatened, we get the picture. It’s about showing respect.
Glamour: Conversations around conservation are important, and as a mom, the prospect of my child growing up without certain species scares me. And just trying to imagine our children reading about elephants instead of seeing them is quite sad. How do we drive the conversation forward?
Dr Poole: I can’t imagine a world without elephants. The trouble is we all care and want elephants to be there but when it comes down to our daily lives, we aren’t prioritizing them. Somehow we need to raise conservation above our need for new houses and things. Politicians make decisions based on what we vote for. The late American Biologist, E.O. Wilson set up a goal called Half-Earth, which encourages us to set aside half the earth for nature. I’m all for that but how do we get there? It’s so important! We forget how dependent we are when we live in cities; that our food and clean water…everything is dependent on healthy nature. If we think about elephants in that context and set aside land for them, we’re setting aside whole ecosystems for plants and animals, all the species that live there.
Glamour: What does it mean to you to be a woman in conservation and to have a voice in this space?
Dr Poole: I’ve been a woman in conservation since I was 19, and I’m almost 67 now. It’s been a while and I’m so happy that in this period of time there are more and more female African voices. That is so important considering that in the beginning when I started studying elephants, there were just a few of us and now there are so many African Scientists and that is so fantastic!
Glamour: Having watched the first 2 episodes of Secrets Of The Elephants, I think it’s such a powerful documentary. What do you hope people will take away from engaging with the content?
Dr Poole: Going back to Elephant Voices and acting as a voice for elephants, I have participated in so many documentaries and I’ve always felt it was important to participate because this is the way we reach the public. And Dr Paula Kahumbu is doing a great job in making sure that these documentaries are brought to Africa and that the voices of African conservationists are heard. As a role model, I think that’s important and Paula’s role is fantastic!
Glamour: Your message for Earth Day and beyond?
Dr Poole: Remember to make space for nature.
Stream Secrets Of The Elephants on Disney+ and National Geographic Wild (DStv 182, StarSat 221).
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