A further 573 animals have been translocated to Maputo Special Reserve and 310 to Zinave National Park.
Following the first translocation of seven elephant from Maremani Nature Reserve in South Africa to Zinave National Park in October 2016, Mozambique has translocated 208 waterbuck, 53 reedbuck and 49 warthog from Gorongosa National Park to Zinave National Park. The translocation between national parks in Mozambique is a clear indication of its conservation successes. The translocation to Zinave will support the development of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA), the larger area surrounding the transfrontier park, and help to establish interconnectivity between the three Mozambican components, i.e. Limpopo, Banhine and Zinave national parks.

Further south, as part of the Mozbio programme funded by the World Bank, 199 impala, 60 zebra and 60 wildebeest have been translocated from Big Game Parks in Swaziland, and 204 waterbuck and 50 warthog from Gorongosa National Park, to Maputo Special Reserve in the Lubombo TFCA. Because of the drought suffered by the region this year, 11 hippo from Sabie Game Park in South Africa are under special care to bolster their strength, before they’ll be transported to Maputo Special Reserve to complete the year’s translocation programme.

The multi-year programme to reintroduce species that were historically found in these areas, enable the fast recovery and subsequent increase of wildlife populations. This is essential to developing the TFCAs as a tourist destination. The wildlife species translocated thus far have been increasing steadily, thanks to the sterling work by park management, and the rangers and communities protecting the animals.