A 20-year-old tusker from Tembe Elephant Park has been translocated to the Somkhanda Community Game Reserve, which is owned and managed by the Emvokweni Community Trust.
The move comes as an attempt to strengthen the elephant gene pool in the reserve.
WILDLANDS, a project of WILDTRUST, the Aspinall Foundation in partnership with Albus Environmental, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and Conservation Solutions all worked together to move the animal safely.
In 2016, Somkhanda Community Game Reserve welcomed a herd of 13 elephants donated by Nambiti Game Reserve. The effort was a historic moment for elephant conservation, as it extended the giant mammal’s range and distribution in South Africa.
‘This illustrated the importance of community conservation, not only in fostering upliftment and local economic development, but in the conservation of iconic and endangered African wildlife,’ said WILDLANDS in a statement.
Tembe Elephant Park, established in 1983, was created to protect the remaining herds of free-roaming elephants in South Africa, known as the ‘Great Tuskers’.
These animals seasonally roamed between Mozambique and Maputuland in the far north of KwaZulu-Natal before settling and finding sanctuary in Tembe, as the Mozambican border war waged on.
The tuskers preferred to settle in the dense sand forests of the reserve.
‘The dream of re-uniting the elephant population across the international border remains, but till that is achieved, management has to implement creative solutions for dealing with a growing elephant population in a relatively small reserve. Current solutions being the contraception of female elephants and the translocation of surplus elephant bulls,’ says WILDLANDS.
Similarly, Somkhanda Community Game Reserve, the new home of the great tusker, who is yet to be named, is owned by the Emvokweni Community Trust (ECT) which was established in 2005 through formal land claims and declared a protected area in 2011.
The introduction of this new bull will not only strengthen the reserve offering since eco-tourism has been earmarked as an important vehicle for economic growth in the country but it is set to strengthen the gene pool of the current herd at Somkhanda.
‘The Great Tuskers of Tembe are known all over the world as majestic giants. Bringing a Tembe elephant into Somkhanda’s herd will enable the continuation of the Tembe Tusker lineage in this reserve. This will not only be a massive boost for tourism here, but also contribute to conservation efforts of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in Tembe Elephant Park. We are very proud to play a little role in support of this,’ said Roelie Kloppers, CEO of the WILDTRUST.
Elephant populations across Africa and Asia are under threat due to the illegal ivory trade driven by devastating effects of poaching, human-elephant conflict and habitat destruction.
It is up to collaborative efforts of these organisations that stand united behind these conservation strategies that will end this crisis.
Image: WILDTRUST/ Kirsten Oliver
