With translocation trucks in the background transporting 27 zebra and 62 blue wildebeest over 1 250 km from Kruger National Park in South Africa to Zinave National Park in Mozambique, this wonderful lady catches up with the Peace Parks film crew to tell her own story about zebra.
She is very excited about seeing wildlife back in her community and being able to take her grandchildren to see animals in real life, not simply on the TV. As a child this lady regularly saw wildlife and so, grew up with a deep love for nature. However, over the decades of trouble in Mozambique much of the wildlife disappeared, so moments like these are especially poignant.
Her enthusiasm and excitement highlight the positive impact of translocations on the surrounding communities. When animals are reintroduced into the landscape it not only benefits the larger community but also reconnects people to their own pasts, touching them deeply.
Rewilding Africa is Peace Parks Foundation’s most ambitious cross-border conservation project. By reintroducing wildlife to ecosystems where species once thrived, biodiversity is once again restored, whilst the potential for securing the future of the protected areas and the people that depend on it for their livelihoods is increased exponentially through nature-based tourism.
In the long-term, translocations contribute to economic growth and development in southern Africa and its communities. This grand endeavour is made possible through the support of the donor community and dedicated partnerships with organisations that have been translocating wildlife for many years.
This year, Peace Parks is almost coming to the end of translocation season, in which they will have moved hundreds of animals – buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, red lechwe, and even cheetah!