Kruger trunks packed for Moz

2003-09-04 17:00

Pretoria - The notion of packing the trunks means something less ordinary this week with the relocation of about 40 elephants from the northern Kruger National Park to Mozambique's Limpopo National Park.

"(This) is an important component of the development process of Africa's biggest animal kingdom, the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park," the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism said in a statement on Thursday.

An agreement was signed between South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe in 2000 to establish a 36 000sq km transfrontier park comprising existing parks and conservation areas in the three countries.

The process of moving about 1 000 animals from the Kruger park started two years ago, the department said.

The latest great trek began on Monday. By Friday, four family groups of elephants would have been moved from the Shingwedzi area in the Kruger to a fenced-off area of 35 000ha in the Limpopo National Park.

This sanctuary was created to allow the relocation of game into the park and to prevent the risk of conflict between humans and animals while a comprehensive community participation process was underway, the statement said.

"The wildlife sanctuary will also improve visitor expectations and be used as a training area for game rangers of the Limpopo National Park."

The giants of the bush will not have an incognito existence in their new habitat though.

"As previously, the elephants translocated have been fitted with radio collars so that their movements can be tracked.

Family groups

"Elephants seen outside the 35 000ha sanctuary but within the million hectare Limpopo National Park will also be caught, have radio collars put on them and (be) put back inside the sanctuary."

This year's elephant relocation would be the last into the sanctuary itself, as the estimated carrying capacity of the area had been reached, according to the department.

SA National Parks chief executive Mavuso Msimang said the elephants were all being caught in areas of the Kruger where there were too many of the species.

Family groups, rather than single elephants, were being moved to ensure a viable population was established.

Such a group would consist of an adult cow, a few sub-adult males and juveniles, he said.

"Fully grown bulls are... difficult to translocate and... tend to wander around and have often returned to their place of capture."

What remains to be seen, is whether this is also true of fully grown males of other species, like the huge bust of former Transvaal republic president Paul Kruger - for whom the park was named.

Park authorities announced their intentions in July to remove the bust at the Kruger gate near Skukuza.

- SAPA