Significant Wildlife Translocation Completed in Malawi

The end of July 2022, marked the conclusion of the successful translocation of 263 elephants and 431 additional wildlife from Liwonde National Park to Kasungu National Park in Malawi. The translocation was undertaken by Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife in partnership with African Parks and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, in an effort to maintain healthy habitats in Malawi’s national parks, establish viable elephant populations, and ensure the prosperity of local communities living around the park. Kasungu is the second largest national park in Malawi covering 2,100 square kilometres, which is four times the size of Liwonde. IFAW, in partnership with DNPW, have been working in Kasungu since 2015 addressing law enforcement, wildlife crime, infrastructure and capacity building within the park. The park was home to about 1,200 elephants in the 1970s before poaching reduced their number to 49 by 2015. Before the conclusion of this translocation there were 120 elephants in Kasungu, the introduction of an additional 263 elephants from Liwonde will support the increase of the population in the park.

SOURCE: AFRICAN PARKS