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Veterinary Wildlife Services

Transfrontier Parks

  • Animal translocations (plains game moved) add to this 111 elephant, 50 buffalo, 10 white rhino, 25 roan, 16 Lichtenstein’s hartebeest
  • Veterinary subcommittee for the Joint Management Board of the GLTP – we actively participate in joint veterinary discussions and planning affecting the greater region
  • Disease monitoring in the GLTP – we have done surveys on Tb in buffalo in the Limpopo NP
  • Radio tracking – we have assisted Limpopo NP and also other potential transfrontier parks with collaring of elephants and subsequent follow-up as well as other collars fitted to sable, roan and buffalo

Translocation of Elephant to Limpopo National Park

A total of 25 elephants were translocated into the main park in 2001, 86 elephants translocated to the sanctuary, healthy number of elephant moved across naturally, satellite collaring programme started with the first translocations and extended to natural populations. Translocated approximately 3000 head of plains game as well.

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From a veterinary wildlife persepctive, this involved an ambitious plan to restock and develop the area in Mozambique, which suffered from decades of poaching

The i nitial plan to translocate 1000 elephant over 4 years and money was sourced from a variety of donors

The project was initiated in September 2001 after a release boma was built at Kostini approx 15km south of the Shingwedzi River Poort

25 elephants were captured and translocated in that year

The next steps involved:

Boma being erected at Kostini in 200Section of the security fence electrified including the Shingwedzi River crossing

Satellite collars ordered with “geo fencing” of villages in the Limpopo NP

3 family groups introduced in 2001Each family group had a satellite collar fitted (with “geo fencing”) and a normal radio collar for precise monitoring

4 bulls of different ages were translocated, each fitted with a combination radio/satellite collar

3 of the 4 bulls returned in that year, one bull still remains in Mozambique

Family groups remained, with one family group moving deep into the Limpopo park

All the family groups returned to Kruger by early 2003

One family group returned to Mozambique later in 2003 and has remained there since

Community conflict resulted in the halting of elephant translocations into the main park

Special sanctuary developed to prevent conflict and increase protection

New release boma built in sanctuary, only family groups were translocated as resident bulls are present in the area

All elephants translocated into the sanctuary are still there with offspring being born

In 2002, 2003 & 2004 a number of plains game have been released into the sanctuary and the main park

Elephant numbers are growing in the Limpopo NP and together with the Kruger NP and Gonarezhou NP this will become one of the most important transfrontier conservation areas in the world


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