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In early July 2017 one of the world’s largest and most significant elephant translocations began in Malawi as 150 elephants made the 350km journey to their new home, Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve.

The elephants are being moved from Liwonde National Park and Majete Wildlife Reserve, in southern Malawi, where there are too many jumbos, to a new home close to Lake Malawi in central Malawi. This first group of elephants, the first of 500, are amongst a host of animals being transferred to Nkhotakota National Park. Nkhotakota supported over 1500 elephants twenty years ago but currently has less than 100. It will provide a safe home in an area which has suffered from neglect and poaching in the past but which is now very much on the mend.

Due to the dense human population in Malawi there are no natural corridors between the parks. Also with Majete and Liwonde parks suffering from elephant overpopulation these result in increasing wildlife and human conflict

So far all the translocated elephants are doing well and staying within the perimeter fencing. African Parks, who are leading the translocation, plan to collar a total of 35 of these first 250 elephants in order to monitor them in their vast new home. Collars will be attached to 10 bulls and the rest to matriarchs.

You can visit the elephants in Nkhotokota buy acyclovir 800 mg National Park staying in the stunning Tongole Wilderness Lodge, on a Malawi Safari Holiday. The location can easily be combined with Zambia’s superb South Luangwa National Park or a holiday on Lake Malawi.

Since 2003 African Parks has, in partnership with the Malawi government, managed Majete Wildlife Reserve. This partnership has seen the reserve restored and restocked with 2,500 animals including the Big Five. Majete has been a great success and is now one of Malawi’s premier wildlife sanctuaries, conserving and protecting more than 8,800 animals. With the addition of Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve in 2015, African Parks now manages three of Malawi’s nine protected areas and with goals to match all that has been achieved in Majete. African Parks are transforming the wildlife of the country.

African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with government and local communities. African Parks manages 10 national parks and protected areas in seven countries covering six million hectares. The countries involved are Malawi, Zambia, Central African Republic, The Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Chad.

To learn more, please visit www.african-parks.org.