Ivan Carter Wildlife Conservation Alliance, Mozambique’s Administracao Nacional de Areas de Conservacao (ANAC); Peace parks; Wildlife Emergency Fund; The Aspinall Foundation; with critical funding provided from both The Nunley Family; and wildlife biologist Forest Galante.
WATCH VIDEOIn 2021, we have had the privilege of performing the first ever wild elephant translocation in Mozambique. The elephants were relocated from the buffer area around Maputo Special Reserve, further north to Zinave National Park. This operation alleviated the pressure in Maputo Special Reserve, reduced the human-wildlife conflict and contributed to expanding the elephant population in Zinave.
Naturally, with the growing human population, situations arise where the elephant are in conflict with the surrounding communities. This operation aimed to mitigate this conflict, by translocating these elephant from the outskirts of Maputo Special Reserve. Over the last couple of years we have been involved in restocking and repopulating of various species in Zinave National Park, and this project also significantly contributed to the park’s developing elephant population.
Although the capture conditions were usually tough, with very dense vegetation and limited access, we successfully managed to safely capture and relocate the elephant to their new home. The longest phase of this project consisted of 32 hours of capture and a 25 hour drive.