Southern Africa is currently experiencing a significant challenge in terms of elephant numbers, with many protected areas reaching their ecological carrying capacity.

Urgent intervention is required to ensure that elephants do not need to be culled in the short to medium term. In addition to this, elephant populations are constantly exposed to snaring, human-wildlife conflict, etc.

This is according to conservation NGO, WeWild Africa.

Last month, WeWild Africa gathered resources and funding to organise and execute an emergency aerial rescue intervention of five elephants at Ndumo Game Reserve, in partnership with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, tracking and redirecting the elephants back to safety.

These elephants moved from the Kruger National Park, through southern Mozambique and into the communities around Ndumo Game Reserve in South Africa.

WeWild Africa is currently one of the only organisations in South Africa that is actively intervening to translocate elephants to areas that can accommodate more elephants, from areas where there are considered to be too many. This includes negotiating with new reserves to take on elephants and supporting them in the preparation to receive elephants.

WeWild Africa translocated over 20 elephants in 2023 alone and has actively been translocating elephants in the southern African region since 2019. The organisation has secured the lives of over 200 elephants through translocation, collaring, removal of snares and providing advisory support to various reserves.

Translocation of family groups

Last year, WeWild Africa implemented the first ever translocations of family groups of elephants out of Addo Elephant National Park in partnership with South African National Parks and specialist capture company, Conservation Solutions.

The operation moved two family groups from Addo to Bellevue Forest Reserve in the Eastern Cape and then to Babanango Game Reserve in KwaZulu Natal. Bulls were also moved with the family units to the receiving reserves. The success of this project means that more elephants can be moved out of Addo Elephant National Park to new reserves to reduce population pressures.

WeWild Africa has also been actively involved in trying to secure the lives of the elephants at Phongolo Nature Reserve which were being poached in 2023, in collaboration with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. The organisation is now busy focusing on assisting with Human-Wildlife Conflict around Ndumo Game Reserve in partnership with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife as well.

Dereck Milburn, Director of WeWild Africa, said: “The management of elephant populations in southern Africa is a critical topic that needs urgent attention, and a structured plan needs to be developed if we are to mitigate the need for culling in the short to medium term. WeWild Africa is here to provide support wherever we can, and we have been able to make a significant impact already, but we are only warming up… There is still much work to be done to secure the elephant populations of our region.”

WeWild Africa aims to expand its capacity to provide helicopter, collaring, veterinary and translocation support for even more areas and reserves in 2024.

The organisation’s main aim, however, is to get regional stakeholders to start talking about a greater elephant strategy.

“Right now, WeWild Africa is filling gaps, but governments and NGOs need to start working together to develop a strategy for the Southern African Development Community region,” the NGO said in a press release.