Skip to content

Satellite Image Revealed Fewer Elephants Than Aerial Count in Botswana

African bush elephant in Chobe National Park, Botswana
Research · Other research

Satellite images make it possible to count African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana) across large areas without sending an aircraft over every population. A study in Botswana shows both the opportunity and the challenge: researchers identified 688 visible elephants in a satellite image, while observers in an aircraft counted 816 in the same area.

Aerial surveys take considerable planning and resources. Satellites could provide more frequent information about where the animals are, helping conservation managers spot changes sooner. First, however, researchers need to account for elephants the images do not show.

Even open landscapes hide elephants

The comparison took place near Ngwasha, south-east of Chobe National Park, on 6 October 2022. The satellite image and aerial survey were coordinated across an area of 140 km². Image resolution was 30 centimetres, meaning each pixel represented roughly 30 × 30 centimetres on the ground. The satellite image showed 128 fewer elephants, a difference of 15.7%.

Bushes, branches and shadows can make animals difficult to see from above, even in landscapes considered open. Researchers estimated that vegetation obscured about 26% of the area. If elephants were as densely distributed there as on visible ground, the 688 visible animals would imply a total of around 929 elephants.

That was too high compared with the aerial count. Elephants are not evenly spread across the landscape, and their use of tree cover can depend on factors including temperature, time of day and access to water. Knowing how much ground is hidden is therefore not enough.

AI must distinguish animals from their surroundings

The researchers also explored whether artificial intelligence could find the elephants automatically. Images containing 813 elephant examples were divided between training and testing. The system performed worse on a separate satellite image that had not been used in training than in the initial tests.

Tight groups and vegetation made elephants harder to detect, while rocks could be mistaken for small elephants. Automated counts therefore need to account for both missed animals and objects incorrectly counted as animals.

For now, the researchers see satellite images as most useful alongside aerial surveys. Combining the two could provide more frequent information about population changes and where elephants gather, while aerial counts continue to provide an important reference.

Sources and image credit

  1. Wilks, R., King, S., King, R., Chase, M. J., Landen, K., McCann, N., Williams, D. R., & Collins, M. (2026). Counting elephants from space: An analytic framework for wildlife abundance surveys in heterogeneous terrain using satellites and AI. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 7(3), e70320.Primary open-access research article first published 12 September 2026. Full text checked. In a synchronous Botswana count, aircraft recorded 816 elephants and satellite imagery 688 visible elephants, a 15.7% undercount. A simple canopy correction produced an estimate of 929, 13.8% above the aerial count.

Image: African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) in Chobe National Park, Botswana, photographed 28 July 2018. Photo: Diego Delso. Source: Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Representative image from the study region; not an identified study animal. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Other research

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

African Bush Elephant Loxodonta africana Explore species

Independent research and conservation news archive

Did you find this information useful?

Wildlife Vagabond is independently built and maintained. Voluntary support helps cover source verification, hosting and continued work on research and conservation news.

Support Wildlife Vagabond

The news archive will remain freely available.