MSc. Student

Contact Information

Department of Biology
Concordia University (Loyola Campus)
7141 Sherbrooke St. W. H4B 1R6
Montreal, QC, Canada

Office: SP 301.19
Lab: SP434
(514) 848-2424 (ext. 4021)

marie-lee.fortier@mail.concordia.ca

 

Education

2025 – Present: MSc student in Biology at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

2022 – 2025: BSc in Biology, Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada

2019- 2022: Animal Health Technology, Collège Lionel-Groulx, Quebec, Canada

 

My Project

The Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis): Does Poaching Influence Tusk Loss?

 

Background

Poaching is still a common illegal activity in Africa despite many measures put in place. This unregulated hunting is a threat to biodiversity because it creates disturbances in the dynamics between species and troubles the stability of ecosystems. Many wild animals are victims of this activity, including primates, rhinoceroses and elephants. By poaching African elephants repeatedly, this pressure creates an artificial selection that could lead to the apparition of an adaptation to respond to this threat. Thus, it is possible to observe a diminution of the average size of the tusks in savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana), and even the increase of individuals born without tusks. Nevertheless, the information in the literature about tusklessness in elephants concern only savannah elephants, and there is none on forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis). My study aims to fill this gap because knowing if this problem also affects forest elephants is crucial for creating better conservation projects specially for this species. To reach this goal, the elephant population of the Campo Ma’an National Park and the Dja Fauna Reserve, in Cameroon, were chosen to verify if the tusklessness phenomenon affects forest elephants too. Those two protected areas have been chosen because they have similar types of environments and conditions, but illegal harvesting is more present in the Dja. Comparing forest elephant populations between these two sites will make it possible to determine whether poaching is a driver of selection for this trait.

Field Work

The field work part of this study will take place in summer 2026 at Campo Ma’an national park, in Cameroon. The goal was to place 20 camera traps in video mode within 10 days. With this data, I can counted elephant and determine the number of tusks they have more easily than if I was trying to find them in person. Data from camera traps taken in the last years in the Dja will be send to me.

 

Objectives

The aim of this study is to:

1- Investigate if there an increase of forest elephants born without tusks.

2- Determine if poaching is the cause of this phenomenon.

Publications

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