Translocation Success Stories

Elephants in Malawi
Over the past two years in Malawi 350 elephants from Liwonde National Park and 150 elephants from Majete Wildlife Reserve were moved to Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve in response to poaching, ongoing human-wildlife conflict, and loss of suitable elephant habitat.

This monumental undertaking was coordinated by African Parks, a non-profit group that worked closely with expert conservationists and veterinarians to ensure the safety and health of the elephants during the arduous translocation process. HRH Prince Harry spent almost three weeks on the ground in Malawi with African Parks, where he served as part of the expert team.

To fully comprehend the process of locating, tranquilizing, and moving these majestic creatures, view this amazing National Geographic coverage.

By removing elephants from overpopulated areas and redistributing them to locations that could accommodate additions to their elephant population, the ecological balance in Malawi has begun to be restored.

Wild Dog in Zimbabwe
Wilderness Safaris and Painted Dog Conservation have partnered to expand the wild dog population of Mana Pools. On September 23rd a pack of these endangered animals was translocated from Hwange National Park to Chikwenya Camp, next to Mana Pools National Park, where they are being held in a boma in order to acclimatize to the area over a period of months. As the boma is being constructed within walking distance of camp, guests at Chikwenya can be part of this endeavor, viewing the dogs from September until the end of the season in November 2019, and then again when they are released in 2020. The move will serve to increase the current wild dog population in Mana Pools while mitigating the threat of human-wildlife conflict in Hwange National Park.

Black Rhino in Tanzania
Nine critically endangered black rhino were relocated from South Africa to Singita Grumeti in Tanzania on September 10th. This groundbreaking relocation was conducted by the non-profit Grumeti Fund, in partnership with the Tanzanian Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) and represents the largest movement of rhino into Tanzania, increasing the national population by almost 10%. The nine rhinos join two eastern black rhinos previously relocated to Singita Grumeti in an ambitious effort to save the species from extinction.