Estimating Elephant Population in South Africa

Calculating Elephant Population Growth

For a population of 40,000 Elephants living in South Africa, the per capita growth rate (r max) = -0.05. We want to determine how many elephants will be present in South Africa next year.

Answer: Nt ≈ 38,183

Step-by-step explanation: Assuming that the per capita growth rate (r max) of -0.05 remains constant, we can use the exponential growth equation to estimate the number of elephants in South Africa next year:

Nt = N0 * e^(r * t)

where:

• Nt = the population size at time t
• N0 = the initial population size
• r = per capita growth rate
• t = time

We can rearrange this equation to solve for Nt:

Nt = 40,000 * e^(-0.05 * 1)

Nt ≈ 38,183

Therefore, we can estimate that there will be approximately 38,183 elephants in South Africa next year.

How many elephants will be present in South Africa next year?

Approximately 38,183 elephants will be present in South Africa next year.