Balthazar: Collaring Operation in Moamba

While responding to an injured elephant last week - Sunday - our team identified multiple uncollared herds moving through the Moamba region.

One of these herds was found less than 2 km from a local community.

A young male was selected and safely darted to deploy a VHF/SAT collar, as part of ongoing Human–Wildlife Conflict mitigation interventions in the Incomati–Rengue landscape.

He was part of a breeding herd of approximately 40 elephants - a clear indication of increasing pressure at the interface between wildlife and communities.

The operation was conducted with Mozambican pilot Balthazar Manda - the first Mozambican pilot operating in this context - flying with Wildlife Helicopters.

In recognition of this, the elephant was named Balthazar.