A total of sixteen elephants have been reintroduced into the Zululand landscape after 150 years, in the hopes of rewilding the area and restoring balance.
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (28 September 2023) – In an extraordinary stride for wildlife conservation efforts in South Africa, Babanango Game Reserve has proudly announced the introduction of elephants onto its 20,000-hectare property. This occasion signals their triumphant return to an area of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal where they have been absent for more than 150 years.
In this historic move, sixteen newly introduced elephants play a significant part in the reserve’s ambitious and successful rewilding journey. The first elephants to arrive were a small breeding herd of seven brought in from Manyoni Private Game Reserve in Maputaland, with their genetic lineage coming from Kruger National Park. This was followed by two bulls from Tembe Elephant Park located in northern KwaZulu Natal. The latest additions to the reserve were seven elephants from Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape.
“We can’t express how delighted we are! This incredible milestone was only possible thanks to so much hard work being done for so many years by so many dedicated people. No words can describe the delight of seeing these pachyderms moving through this magnificent landscape,” expressed Ryan Andraos, General Manager, Conservation and Operations at Babanango Game Reserve.
Introducing elephants from different locations in South Africa into a single population enhances genetic diversity, which is crucial for the long-term health and viability of the population. It also contributes to the conservation of this species where in Southern Africa, the challenge facing elephants is not the low number of elephants but the reduction in available habitat. As such, the move has helped reduce elephant pressures on the reserves where they have come from, whilst establishing a new population and expansion of their range.

The translocation of the elephants from three different reserves across South Africa was made possible through key partner collaborations with Conservation Outcomes, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Aspinall Foundation, Over and Above Africa, DCM Surfaces, South African National Parks and Conservation Solutions. The reintroduction of elephants not only establishes Babanango Game Reserve as a Big Five reserve but has an important and positive effect on the reserve’s ecosystem as a whole.
Elephants, being megaherbivores, play a crucial role in the ecological function of the reserve. Not only are they rapid recyclers of plant matter that help other species like dung beetles and birds but they are also habitat engineers, modifying the landscapes as they consume vegetation that other species cannot. Although known to push over trees, elephants play an important role in the propagation of trees by distributing the seeds.
Chris Galliers, Conservation Outcomes, stated the significance of this release by saying, “Getting to the point where elephants can once again traverse the ancient landscape of Babanango Game Reserve, is certainly a great conservation milestone. As Conservation Outcomes we give thanks to the Emcakwini Community for their vision on looking to set aside land for biodiversity and cultural conservation. We also thank the investors for buying into this vision as well as the Kwangono and Esibongweni Communities for also adding portions of their land for the same purpose. It has been a privilege to provide development and management support to BGR and being part of a team that positioned the reserve to become a site for elephant range expansion.”
The establishment and rewilding of Babanango Game Reserve represents one of the most ambitious rewilding projects in Southern Africa in recent years. This rewilding process is vital for the reserve to fulfil its purpose of enabling the rehabilitation and restoration of biodiversity and the conservation of wilderness through responsible, sustainable tourism and resource use. The reserve incorporates a significant portion of land that has been invested by three community trusts from the region, whose commitment plays a crucial role in long-term conservation success. The income generated through land leases, conservation levies, and other benefits from the reserve is vital for the economic well-being of the surrounding communities.
“It is unbelievable, we are filled with joy and delight that the beautiful rolling hills and mountains of Babanango, which were home to colourful herds of cattle only benefiting a few individuals, is now a home to the Big Five for the benefit of the majority, who were disadvantaged in the past,” says Kenneth Buthelezi, Chairman of Emcakwini Community Trust.
He added that “the arrival of elephants fulfills the dreams of those who initiated the establishment of a Big Five game reserve. We express our sincere gratitude to all who were involved in the introduction of elephants. The beneficiaries and community of Babanango are now going to experience something different, with pride of being the owners of both land and its habitants, they will enjoy all the benefits.”
The combination of the wildlife experience, culture and biodiversity heritage, history and conservation, creates a truly unique safari experience at Babanango Game Reserve.
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