In today’s episode, we join Dr Hugo Pereira, a wildlife veterinarian from the Mozambique Wildlife Alliance, and team on an exciting mission in Sabie Game Park.
They are working to relocate a clan of spotted hyena, a key hunter scavenger species which keeps environments clean and disease free, to a new home in Maputo National Park.
The team calls for the hyena with a speaker playing the sounds of a distressed prey followed by the calls of a spotted hyena. This trick is usually successful in attracting the targeted species, but the bush is full of surprises; three lions came to the party instead.
So, it was time for plan B. The crew moved to a new spot, laid out some meat laced with a little sedative to make the hyena sleepy and started calling again. Soon enough, they heard the sounds of hyena in the distance. Success seemed close, and despite these animals being naturally cautious, the team managed to catch three hyenas in this translocation operation.
Once in Maputo National Park the animals were placed in temporary holding facilities, which is a secure space that will help them adjust to their new home before being released into the wider park.
In collaboration with Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas, Peace Parks Foundation has been actively contributing to the restoration and rewilding of Maputo National Park for over a decade. To date, 5385 animals of 11 different species have been translocated to this park. This has created a healthy ecosystem, ready to welcome tourists, which creates jobs for people living in communities around the park.
Click here to watch part two of this exciting story.
