Page 6 - KGR 2020 Review Book

ELEPHANT RELOCATION

Elephants are extremely intelligent and know how to make the most of an
opportunity. In March, flooding caused rivers to engorge and rage which
resulted in a section of fence surrounding Mozambique’s Limpopo National
Park to be washed away. Before the fence could be fixed, a small group of bull
elephants took advantage of the downed fence and left the park.

One of the bulls had a GPS collar on him which allowed his movements to be
tracked and monitored. The bulls made their way south placing them near the
communities just outside of Karingani Game Reserve. When elephants interact
with human settlements, the results can be dangerous for both people and
the elephants. Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC) occurs when the interaction
between wild animals and humans results in a negative effect on people,
animals, resources and/or habitats. HWC is one of the main threats to many
species worldwide. Elephants outside of protected areas have been known to
raid crops which could be detrimental to the farmers that rely on the crops and
the elephants are sometimes killed in retaliation. During contact with humans,
The capture crew carefully straps and secures the elephant’s feet to the crane. whether it be to chase elephants away from settlements or by running into
March 2020
them by accident, both human and elephant lives are put at risk. The risk of
elephants being killed for ivory and meat also increases outside of protected
areas. The communities that are deeply rooted in the area are a core focus
of Karingani and together, we have developed a strong partnership where
our neighbours are involved and supported. This partnership is critical to the
success of Karingani. In areas of HWC, if an adequate solution is not met, local
support for conservation and support for nearby reserves can be compromised.
Stopping HWC before it started was quickly listed as a priority with these bulls.

Limpopo National Park partnered with Karingani with the support of
Mozambique’s National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) and
Peace Parks Foundation to find and relocate the bull elephants into the
secure fences of Karingani’s borders where they would be safe from HWC.
An initial operation where a section of fence line was temporarily removed
and a helicopter was used to herd the elephants towards the gap was
partially successful, one of the elephants was herded into safety within the
reserve’s boundaries. Another bull decided the easy way was not for him and
another plan had to be made. Collaboration with helicopter operators from
Environmental Management Conservation Trust, Maputo Special Reserve,
wildlife veterinarians, Dr Joao Almeida and Dr Hugo Pereira from Saving the
A crane truck was used to hoist the 3 1/2 tonne animal onto a trailer.
March 2020 Survivors, and Karingani staff led to a new plan to immobilise the bull from a