Malawi is from today embarking on the largest ever translocation of elephants in the history of mankind from Liwonde National Park and Majete Wildlife Reserve to Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve.
Five hundred elephants and about a thousand other animal species including zebras, buffalos, impalas and waterbucks are being relocated in an exercise which may last some two years. The exercise is being undertaken by African Parks.
Director of National Parks and Wildlife, Bright Kumchedwa, has said it is expected that 250 elephants would be transferred by the end of August this year while the next batch would be transferred next year.
Funding for the relocations comes from the Dutch Postcode Lottery, a charity lottery in the Netherlands, according to available information.
Kumchedwa said the elephant population in Malawi has kept on declining in the last two decades due to poaching and especially with an increasing demand for ivory on the black market in the East.
“As a result of this, Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve and Kasungu National Park lost much of their elephant populations. So this translocation is providing hope that these parks, particularly Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve would be able to regrow its elephant population.
“This should in future serve as a seed bank to translocate elephants into Kasungu National Park. This, therefore, will make positive contribution to Biodiversity restoration in this country,” he said.
He said restoration of biodiversity in Malawi’s protected areas is crucial as it would contribute to tourism development.
“Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, which is receiving these elephants will be competitive in terms of tourism. This translates into socio economic development in this country. The need to boost tourism in this country cannot be overemphasized as tourism is considered as one of the engine rooms that may spur economic growth particularly this time around when global tobacco prices continue to dwindle,” Kumchedwa said.
He said culling would not be an option if the elephant population is rising for the simple reason that Malawi’s elephant population completely nosedived making some of the parks not viable for tourism.
The policy direction, therefore, is to have depleted parks restocked with key animal species to ensure that there is enough wildlife for tour ism attraction.
“Until such a time when all our parks are fully restocked with wildlife and the species have grown over and above carrying capacity of these respective parks then culling would be an option,” he said.
Before embarking on the restocking exercise several factors were considered, he said, ranging from habitat suitability adding that the parks that are targeted for restocking are fit enough to accommodate elephants.
The Department has also undertaken to fence the parks with elephant population.
“For instance, perimeter fences are being constructed in all parks including Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve with elephant populations,” he said.
Eighty three elephants were in 2009 relocated to Majete Wild life Reserve from Phirilongwe in Mangochi District as they were conflicting for space with human population in the area.
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