The Knysna elephants were the relicts of once substantial herds of African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) in the Outeniqua/Tsitsikamma region of southernmost South Africa, which as of 2021, have been reduced to a lone adult female. The elephant herds roamed the southern tip of Africa into the 1800s and 1900s, when contact with European farmers and hunters led to their decimation. It is conjectured that about 1,000 elephants historically roamed the Outeniqua/Tsitsikamma area. A 2006 DNA analysis of dung samples revealed the presence of at least 5 cows and possibly some bulls and calves, moving within an area of 121,000 hectares of forest managed by SANParks – the only unfenced elephant group in South Africa. By 2019 however, researchers realised that a mature female at the Knysna Forest