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afrol.com, 11 September - A family group of young elephants were this weekend successfully relocated from South Africa to Angola as part of a massive plan to re-introduce wildlife to the war-ravaged country. Eight elephants, including a three-month-old calf, were airlifted to Kissama National Park 70km outside Angola's capital Luanda, in an operation dubbed Operation Noah's Ark. This week's relocation is the first phase of a large resettlement programme of several wildlife species, including giant sable and red buffalo, to Kissama over the next five years. The elephants were captured at the Madikwe Game Reserve in the North West Province. One of the elephants, a young female, died shortly after arrival in Angola from what is believed to be respiratory distress caused when she fell on her sternum when the cargo plane landed in Angola. Professor Wouter van Hoven, the spokesperson for the Kissama Foundation, a group of conservationists concerned about the conservations of Angola's resources, said they had tried desperately to save the female elephant but there was nothing they could do. This setback will, however, not stop the relocation of more elephants to the park. A second group of elephants will be captured at Madikwe today (monday), also for relocation to Kissama. The park is situated in an area of Angola that has not been involved in the 25-year-long civil war there. Former soldiers have, however, been trained to guard the elephants in the reserve, and R2-million per year has been earmarked for the protection of the elephants. The elephants are in an enclosure surrounded by an electric fence and guards will monitor them on horseback and from speed boats. Two of the elephants were also fitted with radio transmitters to allow researchers in the park to monitor their movements. "I have no doubt for the safety of the elephants in the park. The number of guards employed will be just over two for every elephant in the park," said van Hoven. He added: "This area is elephant paradise. I have no doubt that they will thrive here. People must remember that a few years ago there were about 4 000 elphants in this area." The Kissama Foundation is hoping to relocate about 300 elephants to the park by next year. The majority of these elephants will come from Botswana, which is battling with a population in excess of elephants. The project already has the backing of Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who is also the patron of the Foundation. North West Parks and Tourism Board spokesperson Paul Daphne said: "This donation project should be perceived in a Southern African context, whereby our nation has pledged support for the development of the SADC region, in this particular instance to Angola, a country at the turning point in strategising the revitalisation of its economy after the 25-year civil war. "The restructuring of the Kissama National Park is one of the Angolan government's plans to rejuvenate its economy through conservation-based tourism, which will lead to job creation and the improvement of the quality of life for its citizens."
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