Dwarf blue sheep Pseudois schaeferi are known to survive only in Batang County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. According to the results of a survey between 19 November and 21 December 1997, the species has declined steeply in both range and numbers since the 1950s and 1960s because of excessive hunting. The survey found that dwarf blue sheep were concentrated on steep cliffs between 2700 and 3200 m. In the area near Batang, the species's range was estimated to cover 295 sq km and the population to number c. 200 individuals. The average group size was 6.2 individuals, with a male: female ratio of 67.7:100. The authors recommend that the species be included in Class I of the National List of Protected Animals in China.

Wild mammals sometimes need to be restrained for conservation purposes. Game rangers, wildlife managers, field biologists and wildlife veterinarians need to be fully conversant with a wide array of environmental and biological variables when using chemical restraint on wild mammals. In order to minimize risks to subject animals, they also need to be able to react appropriately using the correct equipment with sufficient skill to deal with anything that can go wrong. The importance of thorough background research and planning before going into the field cannot be overemphasized. The physiological results of immobilization drugs delivered by dart depend on dosages, the success of dart placement and drug delivery in good muscle, as well as the physiological state of the animals prior to and during anaesthetic induction. This paper describes the essential components of a planning and monitoring protocol for chemically restraining terrestrial mammals under field conditions.

The future persistence of African elephants over the 80 per cent of the species's range that remains outside protected areas is increasingly uncertain in many parts of the continent. Conflict between elephants and agriculturalists is already widespread and can lead to displacement or elimination of elephants, causing a further decline in their range and numbers. ‘Protectionist’ conservation groups have recently attempted to play down the importance of human–elephant conflict, contending that it has been greatly exaggerated by those advocating sustainable use of wildlife. The future of elephants in ecosystems over much of the continent will depend largely upon the attitudes and activities of humans. The realities of survival faced by rural Africans may mean that little attention will be paid to a debate taking place on conservation philosophy in the developed world. Therefore, the IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group (AfESG) is investigating how human land use can be integrated with the needs of elephant populations in Africa's biogeographical regions. Findings from these studies will be used in attempts to benefit elephant conservation and management in the 37 African elephant range states.

Amazonian forests are experiencing rapid, unprecedented changes that are having major impacts on wildlife, regional hydrology and the global climate. Rates of deforestation and logging have accelerated in recent years and patterns of forest loss are changing, with extensive new highways providing conduits for settlers and loggers into the heart of the Amazon basin. These myriad changes are causing widespread fragmentation of forests. Fragmented landscapes in the Amazon experience diverse changes in forest dynamics, structure, composition and microclimate, and are highly vulnerable to droughts and fires—alterations that negatively affect a wide variety of animal species. In human-dominated lands intensive hunting may interact synergistically with fragmentation to further threaten wildlife populations.

The history of the Addo elephant population in South Africa, from the creation of the Addo Elephant National Park (AENP) in 1931 to the present (every elephant currently living within the park is known), was reconstructed. Photographic records were used as a primary source of historical evidence, in conjunction with all documentation on the population. Elephants can be identified in photographs taken throughout their life by study of the facial wrinkle patterns and blood vessel patterns in their ears. These characteristics are unique for each elephant and do not change during the individual's life. The life histories of individual elephants were traced: dates of birth and death were estimated and, wherever possible, the identity of the individual's mother was ascertained. An annual register of elephants living within the population, from 1931 to the present, was compiled, and maternal family trees constructed. Preliminary demographic analyses for the period 1976–98 are presented. The quantity and quality of photographs taken during these years enabled thorough investigation of the life histories of all elephants. Prior to 1976, insufficient photographs were available to provide reliable data on the exact birth dates and mothers' identities for every calf born. However, data on annual recruitment and mortality are considered sufficiently reliable for use in analyses of the population's growth and recovery.

The aim of this study was to make preliminary assessments of the effects of human activities on the gorillas and other wildlife in the Dzanga-Ndoki Park and broader Dzanga-Sangha Dense Forest Reserve (RDS), Central African Republic. During a month-long survey in 1997, observation and sign of humans and large mammals, including ape nest-sites, were recorded on 81.2 km of line transects in three sectors of the park and reserve. Human activities, including intensities of logging and hunting, appeared to decrease with distance from the population centres and were lower in the park than in the reserve sectors. Encounter rates with sign of duikers Cephalophus spp., monkeys Cercopithecus spp. and Cercocebus albigena, elephants Loxodonta africana, and gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla were generally lower in regions of high human activity in the reserve than in the park sectors. Nevertheless, gorilla nest-site densities did not vary significantly between sectors or with human activity levels. A high frequency of zero (bare ground) nests at RDS suggests that gorilla surveys that rely on line transect methods and use nest decomposition rates from other studies may sometimes underestimate gorilla densities. This study suggests that current levels of exploitation in managed hunting zones of national forest reserves may be negatively affecting targeted wildlife populations in these zones. Assessments should be a regular part of efforts to monitor the health of wildlife populations in managed protected zones. Participation by Central Africans in research will continue to benefit conservation and development efforts.

The population of the threatened proboscis monkey Nasalis larvatus, a Bornean endemic, in the Pulau Kaget Nature Reserve, South Kalimantan, Indonesia, is extinct. Until 1997, this small, isolated population, estimated at c. 300 individuals, had been pushed towards the fringes of the reserve by illegal agricultural expansion. As food sources became depleted, the population apparently exceeded the decreasing carrying capacity of the reserve and was reported to be starving to death. As a solution, 84 animals were translocated to nearby, unprotected sites, resulting in 13 fatalities. An additional 61 animals were taken to a zoo, where 60 per cent died within 4 months of their capture. There was neither a proper pre-translocation assessment of the suitability of the release sites, nor a proper post-translocation monitoring programme for the released animals. We conclude that the Pulau Kaget reserve and its proboscis monkeys have been poorly managed. We provide some suggestions to improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts in Indonesia.