SA elephants cross borders
5 September 2003
South Africa this week relocated four families of elephants from the Kruger National Park to Mozambique as part of the establishment of the 35 000kmē Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park.
This takes to 31 the number of elephants relocated from Kruger to Mozambique's Limpopo National Park since South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe agreed three years ago to establish the world's largest animal kingdom.
South Africa has an overpopulation of elephants believed to be close to 10 000, hence the relocation. The relocated elephants all have radio collars on them for easy tracking.
The Peace Parks Foundation is funding the three-year elephant translocation project, as well as the future translocation of other wild animals. The Foundation will also translocate 1 000 elephants from Kruger to Mozambique, and a further 6 500 other species will follow over a three-year period.
Banking group Absa has contributed R10-million over 10 years to the
project. South African National Parks is the implementing agent, rendering all professional and logistical support.
A "peace park", or transfrontier conservation area, involves two or more countries which, without compromising national sovereignty, allow for the free roaming of animals and humans across international boundaries within the peace park.
In southern Afica, 22 transfrontier conservation areas have been identified, covering more than 100 million hectares - areas as big as France, Germany and Spain together. When finalised, these peace parks are expected to attract up to eight million tourists a year, creating up to a million permanent jobs.
One such peace park is the area between Mozambique (Limpopo National Park), South Africa (Kruger National Park) and Zimbabwe (Gonarezhou).
The Peace Parks Foundation has secured more than R75-million for the development of Mozambique's Limpopo National Park, including community consultations, ranger training,
and infrastructural and tourism development.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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