This week, we are following a translocation that will see 23 elephants moved from Maputo National Park's buffer zone, where they face significant risk due to human-wildlife conflict, to Zinave National Park where they will have the space to thrive.
Park Warden, Miguel Gonçalves, explains that the crops and fields of the communities that live in the buffer zone are under constant threat of crop-raiding by elephants. As elephants aren’t known to be ‘tidy eaters’ by any stretch of the imagination, a single elephant can uproot and destroy hectares of fields in minutes – something that would have taken these small-scale farmers months to grow. This results in already poor farmers losing their entire harvest.
Unfortunately, the reality is that to protect their livelihoods, many of these ‘problem-elephants’ are then targeted by communities.nTo avoid this conflict, Peace Parks Foundation and partners are supporting the translocation of these elephants to Zinave National Park in Mozambique where they will be able to roam freely.
This year, the operation is supported by Peace Parks Foundation and Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas, as well as the Mozambique Wildlife Alliance, and Conservation Solutions. Make sure to stay tuned to Peace Parks TV this week, as we learn from the professionals how moving 23 elephants is done.
Want to see the previous elephant translocation? https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy...