We did not count them. Now we are happy with almost every elephant we see. There are several ways of estimating wildlife populations on communal lands in Zimbabwe. Results from all of them are considered when making the final population estimates for each area. These surveys concentrate on elephants, which are more visible from the air than smaller species.
Elephants are a useful indicator species, as they have a relatively low reproduction rate.
Apart from the inevitable inaccuracies that plague any form of estimation, the main disadvantages of aerial surveys are that they are technically and logistically complex and extremely expensive. Information from hunters and safari operators Professional hunters and safari operators spend a lot of time in the field observing wildlife, even getting to know particular herds and individuals. Their experience and information is invaluable for estimating wildlife populations, and especially important for species that occur in moderate numbers, such as wildebeest, sable, waterbuck, lion, and leopard, for which aerial surveys are of limited use. Each village development committee produces a sketchmap of its area, marking landmarks such as rivers, hills, and roads. Village development committees from neighbouring villages check that the same animal groups are not counted twice.