The silent elephant in the room: Observed differences in calling behavior of African forest elephants ( <i>Loxodonta cyclotis</i> ) in a fragmented West African forest

Abstract Small, fragmented populations of critically endangered species require different conservation strategies than large, contiguous populations, as they are vulnerable to local extinction, demographic shifts, and behavior changes. Effective management necessitates regular, systematic surveys to detect early warning signs of decline and facilitate intervention before irreversible population changes occur. However, long‐term monitoring efforts often suffer from substantial data gaps, particularly for elusive species. We use passive acoustic monitoring to assess a small, isolated population of critically endangered African forest elephants ( Loxodonta cyclotis ) in Ghana's fragmented Kakum Conservation Area, for which no elephant data have been published since 2004. West African forest elephants face rapid population declines and elevated extinction risk amid widespread deforestation, fragmented forests, and severed migration corridors. We investigate potential long‐term consequences of fragmentation on this unmonitored population by quantifying changes in vocal behavior between 2000, 2018, and 2024. Elephants vocalized significantly less since 2000, with no change in call duration but increased fundamental frequency, suggesting modified vocal behavior. Gunshots negatively influenced call density in 2018. These findings highlight critical needs to strengthen management and conservation planning for vulnerable populations through cost‐effective, long‐term monitoring approaches in fragmented landscapes.