In a significant landmark for conservation, Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife, African Parks (AP) and the non-profit International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) have begun translocating 250 elephants approximately 350 km from Liwonde National Park to Kasungu National Park.
The translocation will continue through the end of July as part of a national conservation initiative to maintain healthy habitats in Malawi’s national parks, establish viable elephant populations and ensure the prosperity of local communities living around the parks.
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Additional wildlife, including buffalo, impala, sable, warthog and waterbuck will also be translocated from Liwonde to Kasungu.
On 7July, a family herd of 10 elephants walked from their transport vehicles into a holding boma at Kasungu; 41 elephants have been safely released into Kasungu since the translocation began over a week ago. At the same time, a herd of 80 buffalo bounded from the confines of their transport vehicle into a separate boma, clearly happy to stretch their legs after hours on the road from Liwonde National Park.
Poaching, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict have decimated elephant populations across Africa, and this move aims to be part of the process of establishing thriving elephant populations, alleviating human-wildlife conflict and restoring healthy habitats.
Pictures: Jonas Strahberger / IFAW
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