Seven elephants from a Namibian sanctuary are settling into their new home in Cuatir Nature Reserve in southeastern Angola, the first of many that will make the trip.
The elephants were relocated from Mount Etjo Safari Lodge in the Okanjati Game Sanctuary due to concern from conservationists that the area could no longer support the megafauna. Seven years of persistent drought in the park has significantly decreased forage and grazing for the 50-strong elephant herd. A total of 30 elephants are expected to be moved to Angola in the coming weeks.
Annette Oelofse, who founded Okanjati with her late husband Jan in 1975, said the elephants are adapting well to their new home and unlikely to make the long trek back to Namibia. The group includes a mother and her young, making for “a very stable family” and “a beautiful herd.”
[See more: Growing elephants numbers create challenges for Mozambican national park]
The area now part of the Cuatir Conservation Project was once home to the largest elephant population in Angola. But the 27-year civil war that consumed Angola after gaining independence wiped out the population completely, as elephants were hunted for meat or for tusks that could be sold to fund the fighting. Conservationist Stefan Van Wyk took over the site in 2012, a decade after the conflict ended, expanding its territory and rebuilding the animal populations.
The new elephant herd will certainly assist with that goal, but moving such massive creatures across international borders is no simple task. More than a year of planning went into ensuring that the elephants would not be harmed during the 700-kilometre, 38-hour overland trip from Namibia to their new home in the Angolan province of Cuando Cubango. Despite the challenges and high cost, relocation remains the best option to repopulate depleted areas – and reduce pressure on areas where populations have grown too large to safely support them.
Wildlife veterinarian Ulf Tubbesing, who assisted in tranquilising and transporting the elephants, said he expects they will “feel that they have landed in paradise” in Cuatir. “The elephants are really enjoying eating from the vegetation there,” he said.
