The movements of this elephant bull, collared in Banhine National Park and tracked since July 2019, clearly shows why #transfrontierconservation and opening of wildlife corridors are essential. The bull was located by Peace Parks fixed wing, allowing the teams from Elephant Alive and Saving the Survivors to move in with the helicopter to conduct the first-ever collaring operation in Banhine.
The “Banhine bull” has been quite a traveller, traversing through four protected areas between two countries. These protected areas include Banhine National Park, Zinave National Park, Limpopo National Park and Kruger National Park. After spending several months in KNP, he moved south along the LNP border and eventually crossed back into LNP via the southern Bank of the Olifants river on the Karingani property. He spent several weeks in LNP moving with a collared herd before he crossed back into the area he was collared in Banhine.
Banhine National Park is a critically important component of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area as it lies within the wildlife corridor between the Zinave and Limpopo National Parks.
The movements of this bull display how important and interconnected the protected areas are. This elephant is an important trailblazer, showing how Protected Areas need to be viewed within the context of a much wider landscape.
