Poster Presentation

This research followed the work and findings of Cynthia Moss, a self-trained zoologist who studies at Amboseli National Park, in Kenya.  Moss began her first elephant research project in 1972 and has dedicated over 30 years to the continued survival, preservation, and well being of the endangered species, the African Elephant.  Cynthia Moss maintains her personal and professional life as one; therefore she would not be as successful in her research if she had separated these aspects.  Moss and her team spend long hours of the day observing the elephants in their daily activities, observing behaviors, and recording information on each individual elephant.  Moss is particularly interested in elephant behavior and how important family social structures are.  There are many different families of elephants located at Amboseli National Park. Cynthia has followed these families very closely for over 30 years and knows them all by sight and name.  Moss learned to recognize the elephants by means of photographing the scratches and tears in their ears.  This was taught to her by Iain Douglas-Hamilton, the first to use this technique and Cynthia’s first partner before she began her own elephant research project.  Identifying and naming the elephants enables Cynthia to have more of a family feeling between her and the different family groups.  Cynthia Moss continues to research the elephants at Amboseli, preserving the lives and making new discoveries on elephant behavior.