Seven elephants relocated from Namibia to Angola amidst severe drought

The seven elephants from Mount Edjo Safari Lodge in the Okanjati Game Sanctuary are part of a total of 30 elephants expected to be moved to Angola in the coming weeks.

The elephants were moved to Cuatir Nature Reserve in southeastern Angola following concerns from conservationists that Namibia’s reserve could no longer house the huge mammals.

The Okanjati Game Sanctuary has seen a massive decrease in forage and grazing since drought struck for the past seven years.

Annette Oelofse, who owns the sanctuary and founded it with her late husband in 1975, said the elephants, including a mother and her young, are adjusting well to their new environment in Angola.

According to Oelofse, they are unlikely to return to Namibia.

Cuatir Nature Reserve, which is now their new home, had previously lost its largest elephant population during Angola's 27-year civil war.

Elephants were hunted for their meat and tusks to fund the war effort. After the conflict ended in 2012, conservationist Stephan Van Wyk took over the park and began rebuilding its animal populations.

More than a year of planning went into ensuring that the elephants would not be harmed during the 700-kilometre, 38-hour overland trip from Namibia to their new home in the Angolan province of Cuando Cubango.

The move forms part of efforts to reduce pressure on areas overpopulated with elephants while repopulating depleted areas.

They will “feel that they have landed in paradise” in Cuatir, Wildlife veterinarian Ulf Tubbesing, who assisted in the relocation was quoted. “The elephants are enjoying eating from the vegetation there,” he was quoted.