Fifty years ago, Banhine National Park in Mozambiquewas a wildlife haven, teeming with herds of giraffe, buffalo and antelope. Then, it was stripped nearly bare by decades of civil warand unchecked poaching.
But a project is underway to restore Banhine to its former glory. Fences have been rebuilt and roads fixed. Finally, the trickiest part: bringing in the animals.
Private conservationists working with the government of Mozambique have moved nearly 400 animals – zebra, wildebeest and several species of antelope – by truck to Banhine. It’s an attempt to restart a game reserve that is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a series of reserves in Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe that form a wildlife corridor and a key conservation area.
The animals that will restock Banhine came from the Maputo National Park, itself a success story after a similar rehabilitation 15 years ago.
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