Must credit Frank Weitzer appropriately. African Parks has the right to distribute these images to its donors, as well as partner NGOs, media and tourism organisations for the non-commercial purposes of promoting African Parks and / or the parks. For any commercial usage, African Parks will consult with Frank Weitzer. Appropriate creditation must be give to Frank Weitzer at all times.
Image credit: Frank Weitzer / African Parks
“Seldom do we hear good news about elephants in Africa … Malawi has emerged as a leader in African elephant conservation and park restoration.
What’s been achieved at Nkhotakota in just 7 years is incredible.Rehoming 500 elephants and knowing they will thrive is a story of hope and survival, and a real example of what is possible with good collaboration.” – Peter Fearnhead (CEO of African Parks)
Called ‘one of the world’s largest restoration efforts’, Nkhotakota was once home to 2,000+ elephants.
First proclaimed in 1938, it is Malawi’s largest wildlife reserve and was once home to 2,000+ elephants. But by 2012, years of ivory poaching had reduced the elephant population to a mere 100 animals, charcoal and logging were out of control and what was once a sanctuary for many wildlife species had diminished to a silent and empty forest. In 2015, the Malawian government joined forces with African Parks, and so began Nkhotakota’s journey of revival.
“Now, Nhotakota is a place of peace, tranquillity, pristine forests and friendly people, a Garden of Eden being restored with animals that once belonged here, and a reflection of what Malawi looked like a millennia ago.
The ‘Afrika Odyssey’ Journey of Revival”
Kingsley Holgate with a life-size statue of an elephant called ‘’Problem’’ that epitomises the struggle that elephants and other wildlife have endured, constructed from wire snares and saw blades confiscated from illegal loggers and poachers
Renowned African explorer Kingsley Holgate and his expedition team from the Kingsley Holgate Foundation recently set off on their 18-month journey through 12 African countries to connect 22 national parks managed by African Parks.
The expedition’s journey of purpose is to raise awareness about conservation, highlight the importance of national parks and the work done by African Parks, and provide support to local communities.
”We’ve travelled this ‘Warm Heart of Africa’ many times before, most recently last year on our world-first – the transcontinental Hot Cape-Cold Cape expedition from Cape Aghulas on Africa’s southern tip to Nordkapp in Norway’s Arctic Circle in the new Land Rover Defenders.
Over the years, we’ve seen first-hand the massive deforestation in this small country, caused by logging, charcoal, agriculture and population explosion.
Now, as we get to explore Nkhotakota’s vast, still intact forests, we realise what a miracle of conservation it is that this piece of wilderness has not only survived but now has a new lease on life.
This remarkable story had a two-fold mission: to restock Nkhotakota and reduce elephant overpopulation pressure on Malawi’s Liwonde National Park and Majete Wildlife Reserve.
It’s easy to imagine the massive scale of it all; swarms of helicopters, teams of rangers, wildlife vets, game capture experts and volunteers including Prince Harry, big cranes and long convoys of flat-bed trucks transporting 500 elephants 350km by road across Malawi to Nkhotakota, along with 2,000 other animals. Then last year, a further 800 animals were reintroduced.
In just seven years, this green jewel has been transformed into a thriving haven for wildlife and a tourism asset for the people of Malawi.
Park manager David Nangoma regales us with fascinating tales of both adversity and triumph – the greatest being 500 Elephants, the biggest and most successful elephant translocation in the world that took place in 2016-2017.
David … reminds us that community education and awareness are key to the park’s survival: “If conservation education isn’t inculcated at a young age, children will grow up with a mindset that every animal is only a food source, and trees are only good for fuel. But if they learn early, they will become long-term ambassadors for Africa’s wildlife,” he says.
Timothy Maseku, Nkhotakota’s community extension manager, tells us that the park now provides hundreds of jobs, and thousands of people living on the boundaries benefit from income-generating projects such as beekeeping, dried-mango processing, chilli farming and irrigation.
Schools and wildlife clubs have planted a whopping 100,000 trees and community members are regularly allowed into the park to harvest mushrooms, bamboo, thatching grass and medicinal herbs.
To the timeless sounds of an African night, Jacob Kwakwala talks animatedly about his work. “32 kids at a time from the surrounding communities come and stay here every weekend – it’s all about learning and seeing the wildlife. This camp and our education centre provide unforgettable memories, key to unlocking children’s understanding of the need to protect the environment.”
On our last morning, we’re astonished to find a huge crowd waiting at the park’s HQ – it seems everyone has turned out to say farewell: David and the management team, tough-looking rangers, Timothy and his community crew, staff from the Education Centre, even workshop mechanics.
All insist on writing personalised messages of hope for Africa’s conservation in the expedition scroll and posing for a jolly team photo.
We leave to cheerful shouts of “Zikomo Kwambiri – come back soon!”
Follow Kingsley Holgate’s’Afrika Odyssey expedition here
Credit: Sheelagh Antrobus, Africa Geographic