Apex predators have serious status. But no species exists in isolation; survival hinges on the interplay between each species. Aspiring to this bigger picture, Maputo National Park in Mozambique declared in , joining Maputo Special Reserve and Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve is topping up its scavenger quota, beginning this month with five spotted hyena incoming from Sabie Game Park.
Not to oversell the underdogs, this represents another great if unsuspecting, rewilding win for southern Africa. Peace Parks Foundation shares this report.
Rebuilding this rhythm at scale is a highly sensitive, strategic process since every living thing has its place and dependencies within the system. This includes spotted hyena, previously eradicated in the park, but for a small leftover population.
To learn more about safaris in this special area, click here. And so began an ambitious wildlife translocation programme to Maputo National Park. The aim is to bring back nature by reintroducing animals historically found in the area. Boosting the recovery of their populations is essential to developing the park as a tourist destination. Still, it is vital to restoring balance and abundance far and beyond the acclaim of re-building the Big Five and friends.
Rewilding began with kudu, impala, giraffe, buffalo, wildebeest, eland, zebra and other plains game species being trucked in. By , 5, animals had been successfully translocated into the park from wildlife-plentiful parks and reserves, including 11 species that had become locally extinct. Sabie can happily and healthily spare a small clan thanks to its wildlife revival. No rewilding operation is a basic case of shifting species X from A to B. An expertly coordinated and carefully executed plan is tailored to each translocation, often involving multiple teams and partners.
