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The Addo Elephant National Park is situated north-westerly of Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The area comprises 8 600 hectares of dense Addo bush. The word Addo is derived from a Khoikhoi word Kadouw, which means river passage. The elephants inhabiting the area are know as the Addo elephant. The Addo elephant is slightly different to their more well known cousins, the African elephants - Addo elephants are smaller, have a reddish skin tone, their ears are more rounded and the females do not have tusks.
It was proclaimed a national park in 1931 when the elephant population of the area was an endangered species. Years before, in 1919, a professional hunter, Major Jan Pretorius, was hired to destroy the entire herd of elephants. They had become pests by raiding neighbouring farms - the area was too small to contain man and elephants, so man embarked on an expedition to wipe out beast. In only one year, Major Jan Pretorius managed to kill 120 elephants. After the year, public outcry against the killings forced him to stop. By now only sixteen of the elephants remained. They were scarred, maimed by bullets and hated man and no sane person ventured into the Addo bush - to do so, the person would be sure to meet with an elephant determined to wreak havoc.
It took more than twenty years for the government to erect an elephant-proof fence to confine the dwindling elephant population within the park and to keep hunters out. The area surrounding the Addo bush is know for the orange groves and to show their gratitude, the Citrus Corporation donated vast waste piles of oranges to the national park. This seemed to appease the angry elephants.
Today the elephant population has grown to over 130 - they are still an endangered species. Other wildlife that can be seen, include the black rhino, buffalo and buck such as eland, kudu and bushbuck.
There are rest camps available. For more information, write to :
National Parks Board
PO Box 7400
Roggebaai
8012
South Africa
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