#movinggiants

Written by Patricia Sims, Co-Founder, World Elephant Day

One hundred and one elephants.

That’s how many of these magnificent creatures have been translocated 1,700 kilometers from South Africa to Mozambique to date by the Moving Giants elephant conservation initiative, the longest such translocation by road ever attempted.

On World Elephant Day last year we reported about the first Moving Giants translocation. It saw 48 elephants translocated in a herculean conservation effort that aims to move 200 elephants in three phases over three years from the Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (VLNR) in South Africa to Zinave National Park in Mozambique.

The second phase, with 53 more elephants translocated, was completed on June 27, 2019.

The vision, companies and organizations behind Moving Giants are huge. Indeed, they should be since moving 200 wild African elephants is no mean feat. The operation is funded entirely by De Beers Group, the international diamond company that owns the VLNR.

June/July 2019. Moving Giants 2019. Translocation of elephants from Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (South Africa) to Zinave National Park (Mozambique). Picture: James Oatway

It’s in partnership with Peace Parks Foundation, the not-for-profit transfrontier conservation organization that co-manages Zinave National Park with the Mozambique government, and Conservation Solutions, the world leader in wildlife translocation handling the complex logistics and veterinary care required for a safe, healthy journey for the elephants.

What prompted the creation of this expensive, mind-boggling operation? The 32,000-hectare (80,000 acres) VLNR was established in the early 1990s to preserve its impressive ecosystem of diverse flora and fauna, including ancient Baobab trees, more than 400 species of bird life and a variety of wildlife including giraffes, wild dogs, and three of the big five:  lions, leopards and elephants. By 2017, however, the reserve’s elephant population had grown to more than 270, exceeding its carrying capacity of between 60 and 70 elephants.

Elephants naturally roam great distances, contributing to forest health through seed dispersal from their dung. They clear pathways and find water other animals depend upon.  But when elephants don’t have enough area to roam freely, they can inadvertently harm trees and terrain, with potentially adverse effects on the ecosystem. The De Beers Group ecology team determined that the best way to save the VLNR ecosystem, and its plants and wildlife, was to find a new home for 200 of the elephants.

That home is 1,700 kilometers away in Zinave National Park, Mozambique.

Mozambique is still recovering from its 15-year civil war that ended in 1992, which caused the loss of more than one million human lives and much of its wildlife.

The country is now rebuilding its economy and resources, and re-wilding its national parks in hopes of creating a sustainable eco-tourism industry.  Zinave National Park, with more than 400,000 hectares, (1,000,000 acres) has a substantially higher rainfall and more lush variety of plant life than VLNR.  This “elephant paradise” with a carrying capacity for 500 elephants provides the newly introduced elephants a vast area to roam freely, helping to attract more wildlife, diversify the ecosystem and create local employment.

When reviewing Moving Giants and its win-win objective, we see a compelling, unprecedented human-elephant story and conservation initiative that demonstrates a remarkable commitment from a diverse group of people, companies and organizations.

During its second phase we caught up with some key participants to find out how the elephants translocated to Zinave so far are adapting.

The translocation of wild elephants is not new. Historically there have been failures and some elephant lives have been lost. Fortunately, advances have been made to find the best methods to ensure safety for the elephants in risky, unpredictable circumstances.

Kester Vickery and lead veterinarian Andre Uys of Conservation Solutions, have learned a thing or two themselves during their precedent-setting achievements with their organization that has moved 1,600 elephants, and thousands of rhinos and other animals.

Picture: James Oatway

One priority, they have learned, is the importance of transporting family groups together, ensuring matriarchs, moms and babies are moved as quickly as possible. Elephants have social and emotional bonds very similar to humans, in that the impact of separating family members is traumatic. The complex process includes rounding up the families by helicopter, darting to sedate them, loading the elephants on custom-designed covered trucks and transporting them before the final step:  their release into their new habitat.

It requires hours of orientation, safety briefings and the coordinated efforts of several skilled people, and a race against the clock.  The 1,700-kilometer, 40-hour journey is designed to be as stress-free and comfortable as possible for the elephants.

“I feel a huge sense of relief when the elephants are offloaded in their new home,” says Vickery. “I know then that the worst is over and that the elephants are home free!”

June 2019. Moving Giants 2019. Translocation of elephants from Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (South Africa) to Zinave National Park (Mozambique). Picture: James Oatway

The first 48 elephants have reportedly adapted well to their new life at Zinave, with the subsequent birth of baby elephants being a positive sign.

Picture: James Oatway

With a denser forest and larger habitat to roam, matriarchs have been outfitted with GPS collars for tracking.

Picture: James Oatway 

“They seem quite relaxed when encountered in the park,” says Bernard van Lente, Project Manager, Peace Parks Foundation. “The newly translocated elephants do sometimes intermingle with the first group but they generally stay within their family groups, which is normal elephant behavior.”

Before any of the elephants were brought to Zinave, Peace Park Foundation launched an educational program about environmental and economic benefits for local communities. The funding commitment of $500,000 from the Anglo American Foundation to Peace Parks to bolster its anti-poaching ranger training program is strengthening the protection of the elephants at the park against poaching.

Picture: James Oatway

The team has the first female anti-poaching rangers in Mozambique, which is also providing a new employment opportunity for women from local communities.  “I don’t think people realize how tough it is to be an anti-poaching ranger, and to watch these women do it is such a privilege”, adds Carina Kolodny, the project’s media producer.

“Moving Giants is the type of project that can only happen when a corporation empowers its employees to think big,”, says South Africa born Mpumi Zikalala, Managing Director of De Beers Group Managed Operations. “Finding a viable solution took a lot of people who were deeply committed to doing right by these elephants, thinking outside of the box,” she said. “I think this also demonstrates the power of partnerships. We can do more when we work together and capitalize on each other’s expertise.”

De Beers Group is putting its money where its mouth is. The company has an environmental impact offset, with six hectares set aside for conservation for every hectare of land affected by its mining operations.

“This equates to around 200,000 hectares [500,000 acres],” explains Matt Crabb, Senior Manager, Group Brand Communications, De Beers Group. “It’s not easy, but it is absolutely the right thing to do. I hope people will realize that businesses can, and should, be a force for good in this world.”

Picture: James Oatway

Vickery believes there will be a growing need for translocations.

“Mostly elephants are limited in their ability to migrate from one area to another due to fences and increased human populations which cut off their ancient migration routes. As populations grow in South Africa they [the elephants] will need to be moved.  The hope is that as new areas are protected they will open up new habitats for elephants.”

As human civilization continues to expand, so will the loss of natural habitat. We are going to be faced with the increasing need to re-wild and protect areas so that not only elephants, but all wildlife and plant species can continue to thrive. They all have a role to play in balancing ecosystems.  With the climate crisis upon us what better time for corporations to offset their negative environmental and social impacts of the past, act responsibly, and give back for the future.

Large mining corporations with vast resources and influence such as De Beers Group can set a positive example by making a commitment to preserving habitats, as opposed to exploiting resources only for a profitable bottom line.

Moving Giants shines as one such project that demonstrates how corporate actions of environmental and social good can make a positive difference for elephant conservation and the health of the planet.

The third phase of elephant translocation is planned for 2020. Stay tuned! To follow the Moving Giants story, the people behind the project, and progress of the elephants in their new home, please visit MovingGiants.org and Facebook @wearemovinggiants

Elephant Conservation

Kenya Ups Its Anti-Poaching Game

“tenBoma, meaning “ten houses,” is a joint Kenya-based initiative backed by the International Fund of Animal Welfare (IFAW, which is a Moving Giants “Elephant Champion”) and the Kenya Wildlife Service. The idea, according to the IFAW website, was “inspired by an African community-security philosophy that if 10 houses look out for each other, the broader community is safer." That philosophy also allows the tenBoma team to create a larger network of local communities, governments and enforcement agencies like the Kenya Wildlife Service "to create a coordinated system of eyes and ears that can monitor, predict and prevent poaching and other threats to wildlife.””

Anti-Poaching initiative in the Mau Forest reaps rewards for wildlife

“Earlier this year the DSWT partnered with the Mara Elephant Project (MEP) in the establishment of a new ranger force to patrol the Mau Forest, where poaching and other illegal activities, including logging, have been taking their toll on the flora and fauna in this critical area.”

“The Mau Team’s primary purpose is to monitor and safeguard the local elephant population in the Forest, which numbers approximately 650 elephants, protecting these individuals from poaching, while actively working to mitigate human-elephant conflict.”

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Child Soldiers

Key Steps Taken to End Use of Child Soldiers in Syria

“The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of forces controlling parts of Syria’s northeast, has taken an important step towards ending the use of child soldiers in their ranks. The SDF issued a military order banning the recruitment of anyone under 18 and ordering their military records office to verify the ages of those currently enlisted.”

Together we can end the recruitment and use of child soldiers - Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative

“Thousands of children across the world are still living in conflict zones. Many of these children have been subjected to unimaginable suffering. They are not just caught in the crossfire or treated by combatants as expendable collateral damage, but often deliberately and systematically targeted.The Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative is trying to change that. This short film [click HERE] will help you learn more about our work.”

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What are your thoughts?

The business of voluntourism: do western do-gooders actually do harm?

[LONG READ]

“The aspiration to help the most vulnerable children is a noble one, but the booming business of “voluntourism” sustains practices and institutions that actually do harm.”

“There are scores of organizations around the world devoted to the welfare and well-being of elephants. Here [Moving Giants] recognize a select group of those wildlife advocates on [their] Elephant Champions honor roll.”

Written by Patricia Sims, Co-Founder, World Elephant Day

Each year for World Elephant Day we put a lot of our elephant conservation attention toward the ivory poaching crisis threatening African elephants, and the tourism and captivity issues that the endangered Asian elephants face. Yet the larger conservation challenge of habitat loss for both African and Asian elephants is looming. Our increasing encroachment on elephant habitat throughout Africa and Asia is putting elephants at greater risk, resulting in human-elephant conflict issues, and the demise of elephant populations and the ecosystems that they, as a keystone species, maintain.

So what are the solutions?  Can moving elephants – from one location where there isn’t enough space for them –  to another location where there aren’t enough elephants,  help solve this issue? At the heart of this critical elephant conservation conundrum is a partnership between the De Beers Group –  the world’s leading diamond company – and Peace Parks Foundation, a leading not-for-profit organization focused on the preservation of large cross-border ecosystems.  They have just completed the first phase of the largest and longest translocation of elephants ever recorded in South Africa. This translocation project is called “Moving Giants.”

23 July 2018. Elephant Relocation from Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (South Africa) to Zinave Reserve (Mozambique). Picture: JAMES OATWAY

Over the course of several weeks between mid-July and early August 2018, forty-eight elephants were moved 1,700 km between the Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (VLNR), a conservation area owned by the De Beers Group in South Africa, to Mozambique’s Zinave National Park.  The reason for this translocation was to address the issue of too many elephants living in the VLNR, which is 32,000 hectares and only has the carrying capacity for approximately sixty elephants.  Yet, as of July 2018, VLNR had a population of approximately 270 elephants, which far exceeds what this region can support, and which negatively impacts its ecological health.  By comparison, the 400,000 hectare Zinave National Park, which at the beginning of this year only had eight elephants, would benefit greatly with more elephants to help replenish its ecosystem. As Bernard van Lente, Peace Parks Foundation’s Project Manager in Zinave National Park explains, “The normal processes that elephants drive – recycling vegetation, pushing over trees which creates different opportunities for insect life, hiding places for small animals – these processes driven by elephants are not taking place in Zinave.  Disturbance stimulates diversity – we don’t have these processes without elephants”.

As a solution to these two conservation problems the Moving Giants project was undertaken with the intention to create a win-win for both the elephants and their habitats.  This initiative is the first phase in the translocation process, with second phase plans to move the remaining 150 elephants next year. It is an ambitious project, and a positive step forward for elephant conservation.  But it is not without risks.

23 July 2018. Elephant Relocation from Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (South Africa) to Zinave Reserve (Mozambique). Picture: JAMES OATWAY

One of the world’s leading experts in elephant translocation strategies, Kester Vickery, Co-Founder of Conservation Solutions, was enlisted to oversee and strategize this logistically complex undertaking.  The operation involved an array of technology ranging from helicopters, all-terrain vehicles, transport trucks, GPS monitoring, a series of tranquilizing medications for the elephants, and a team of veterinarians – all brought together to ensure the elephants’ safety remained a top priority.  Yet even with all these safety measures in place, Kester says, “In short, it is risky for the elephants and the crew.  A lot of this risk is mitigated by having an experienced crew doing the capture, having efficient recovery equipment to limit the time that the elephants are under the immobilization procedure, and planning border crossings and logistical concerns before the operation starts.   To put this in context you need to weigh up the translocation risks versus the outcome of other means of population control like culling”.

23 July 2018. Elephant Relocation from Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (South Africa) to Zinave Reserve (Mozambique). Picture: JAMES OATWAY

Ironically the over-population issue that elephants face in South Africa due to limited habitat puts them at risk on many fronts, whether it be culling, human-elephant conflict, trophy hunting, or poaching.  In the first phase of the Moving Giants project fifty-two elephants, which made up seven breeding herds, were selected for translocation.   Although four elephants unfortunately did not survive the translocation process, the forty-eight elephants that are now successfully living in Zinave have the opportunity to thrive in a new habitat that offers a better future for them and the new ecosystem they inhabit.

As difficult as it is to justify the tragic loss of these four elephants, it is important to recognize the costs of action versus the costs of inaction, which are ultimately greater.

Piet Oosthuizen, De Beers Group’s Senior Ecology Manager states that “People around the world need to recognize that Africa has unique challenges.  In South Africa, we are seriously challenged by excess elephant populations”.  With not enough habitat in South Africa for these elephants to live in, contraception vaccines are darted into the elephants from helicopters as a method of birth control.  The Moving Giants project creates a new opportunity for elephants that would otherwise be subjected to contraception. Now they can continue their natural reproductive process that will ensure growth in elephant populations in the African countries where their numbers are declining.

The question of how and if the elephants will be protected from poachers in Zinave is addressed by the well-established anti-poaching squad of over fifty trained rangers that operates within its 400,000 hectare boundaries.  Zinave is co-managed through a formal agreement between Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas and Peace Parks Foundation.  Peace Park Foundation will carry out ongoing monitoring of the elephant’s health and numbers and ensure that they remain protected.    

30 July 2018. Elephant Relocation from Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (South Africa) to Zinave Reserve (Mozambique). Picture: JAMES OATWAY

The Zinave National Park has reportedly not had any cases of elephant poaching for more than three years.  To provide additional anti-poaching support, the De Beers Group is providing US$500,000 over the next five years to Peace Park Foundation for support to Zinave and other areas in Mozambique where the elephants will be translocated in the second phase of the Moving Giants project.

Large corporations such as De Beers that have had a negative environmental footprint due to their mining operations are in the position to step up responsibly and reciprocate with funds and positive action to help solve conservation problems. More corporations would do well to follow suit with similar conservation commitments to protect habitat and ensure a future for elephants in Africa.

Written by Patricia Sims, Co-Founder, World Elephant Day

Each year for World Elephant Day we put a lot of our elephant conservation attention toward the ivory poaching crisis threatening African elephants, and the tourism and captivity issues that the endangered Asian elephants face. Yet the larger conservation challenge of habitat loss for both African and Asian elephants is looming. Our increasing encroachment on elephant habitat throughout Africa and Asia is putting elephants at greater risk, resulting in human-elephant conflict issues, and the demise of elephant populations and the ecosystems that they, as a keystone species, maintain.

So what are the solutions?  Can moving elephants – from one location where there isn’t enough space for them –  to another location where there aren’t enough elephants,  help solve this issue? At the heart of this critical elephant conservation conundrum is a partnership between the De Beers Group –  the world’s leading diamond company – and Peace Parks Foundation, a leading not-for-profit organization focused on the preservation of large cross-border ecosystems.  They have just completed the first phase of the largest and longest translocation of elephants ever recorded in South Africa. This translocation project is called “Moving Giants.”

23 July 2018. Elephant Relocation from Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (South Africa) to Zinave Reserve (Mozambique). Picture: JAMES OATWAY

Over the course of several weeks between mid-July and early August 2018, forty-eight elephants were moved 1,700 km between the Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (VLNR), a conservation area owned by the De Beers Group in South Africa, to Mozambique’s Zinave National Park.  The reason for this translocation was to address the issue of too many elephants living in the VLNR, which is 32,000 hectares and only has the carrying capacity for approximately sixty elephants.  Yet, as of July 2018, VLNR had a population of approximately 270 elephants, which far exceeds what this region can support, and which negatively impacts its ecological health.  By comparison, the 400,000 hectare Zinave National Park, which at the beginning of this year only had eight elephants, would benefit greatly with more elephants to help replenish its ecosystem. As Bernard van Lente, Peace Parks Foundation’s Project Manager in Zinave National Park explains, “The normal processes that elephants drive – recycling vegetation, pushing over trees which creates different opportunities for insect life, hiding places for small animals – these processes driven by elephants are not taking place in Zinave.  Disturbance stimulates diversity – we don’t have these processes without elephants”.

As a solution to these two conservation problems the Moving Giants project was undertaken with the intention to create a win-win for both the elephants and their habitats.  This initiative is the first phase in the translocation process, with second phase plans to move the remaining 150 elephants next year. It is an ambitious project, and a positive step forward for elephant conservation.  But it is not without risks.

23 July 2018. Elephant Relocation from Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (South Africa) to Zinave Reserve (Mozambique). Picture: JAMES OATWAY

One of the world’s leading experts in elephant translocation strategies, Kester Vickery, Co-Founder of Conservation Solutions, was enlisted to oversee and strategize this logistically complex undertaking.  The operation involved an array of technology ranging from helicopters, all-terrain vehicles, transport trucks, GPS monitoring, a series of tranquilizing medications for the elephants, and a team of veterinarians – all brought together to ensure the elephants’ safety remained a top priority.  Yet even with all these safety measures in place, Kester says, “In short, it is risky for the elephants and the crew.  A lot of this risk is mitigated by having an experienced crew doing the capture, having efficient recovery equipment to limit the time that the elephants are under the immobilization procedure, and planning border crossings and logistical concerns before the operation starts.   To put this in context you need to weigh up the translocation risks versus the outcome of other means of population control like culling”. 

23 July 2018. Elephant Relocation from Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (South Africa) to Zinave Reserve (Mozambique). Picture: JAMES OATWAY

Ironically the over-population issue that elephants face in South Africa due to limited habitat puts them at risk on many fronts, whether it be culling, human-elephant conflict, trophy hunting, or poaching.  In the first phase of the Moving Giants project fifty-two elephants, which made up seven breeding herds, were selected for translocation.   Although four elephants unfortunately did not survive the translocation process, the forty-eight elephants that are now successfully living in Zinave have the opportunity to thrive in a new habitat that offers a better future for them and the new ecosystem they inhabit.

As difficult as it is to justify the tragic loss of these four elephants, it is important to recognize the costs of action versus the costs of inaction, which are ultimately greater.

Piet Oosthuizen, De Beers Group’s Senior Ecology Manager states that “People around the world need to recognize that Africa has unique challenges.  In South Africa, we are seriously challenged by excess elephant populations”.  With not enough habitat in South Africa for these elephants to live in, contraception vaccines are darted into the elephants from helicopters as a method of birth control.  The Moving Giants project creates a new opportunity for elephants that would otherwise be subjected to contraception. Now they can continue their natural reproductive process that will ensure growth in elephant populations in the African countries where their numbers are declining.

The question of how and if the elephants will be protected from poachers in Zinave is addressed by the well-established anti-poaching squad of over fifty trained rangers that operates within its 400,000 hectare boundaries.  Zinave is co-managed through a formal agreement between Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas and Peace Parks Foundation.  Peace Park Foundation will carry out ongoing monitoring of the elephant’s health and numbers and ensure that they remain protected.   

30 July 2018. Elephant Relocation from Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (South Africa) to Zinave Reserve (Mozambique). Picture: JAMES OATWAY

The Zinave National Park has reportedly not had any cases of elephant poaching for more than three years.  To provide additional anti-poaching support, the De Beers Group is providing US$500,000 over the next five years to Peace Park Foundation for support to Zinave and other areas in Mozambique where the elephants will be translocated in the second phase of the Moving Giants project.

Large corporations such as De Beers that have had a negative environmental footprint due to their mining operations are in the position to step up responsibly and reciprocate with funds and positive action to help solve conservation problems. More corporations would do well to follow suit with similar conservation commitments to protect habitat and ensure a future for elephants in Africa.