Zimbabwe has begun relocating over 2,500 wild animals from a southern reserve to one in the country's north to save them from drought, as the ravages of climate change have surpassed poaching as the most dangerous to wildlife.
In one of southern Africa's largest live animal capture and translocation exercises, 400 elephants, 2,000 impalas, 70 giraffes, 50 buffaloes, 50 wildebeest, 50 zebras, 50 elands, 10 lions, and a pack of 10 wild dogs are being moved from Zimbabwe's Save Valley Conservancy to three conservancies in the north - Sapi, Matusadonha, and Chizarira.
Relocation of animals in Zimbabwe
Jan Rey Gaitera/Unsplash
The program, dubbed "Project Rewild Zambezi," relocates the animals to the Zambezi River basin to reestablish wildlife populations, as per BBC.
It is the first time in 60 years that Zimbabwe has begun such a large-scale domestic wildlife migration.
During the country's white-minority rule, more than 5,000 animals were relocated as part of "Operation Noah," which rescued wildlife from rising water caused by the construction of a massive hydro-electric dam on the Zambezi River, creating one of the world's largest man-made lakes, Lake Kariba.
According to Tinashe Farawo, spokeswoman for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, the need to relocate wildlife this time is due to a shortage of water, since their habitat has become parched due to continuous drought.
"We're doing this to reduce stress. We have been fighting poaching for years, and just as we are winning that war, climate change has emerged as the most danger to our species," Farawo told The Associated Press.
Many of their parks are getting overcrowded, with insufficient water or food.
He claimed that the animals end up destroying their environment, becoming a risk to themselves, and encroaching on surrounding human communities for food, resulting in constant conflict.
Culling is one technique for reducing wildlife populations, but conservation organizations argue that such kills are harsh.
According to Farawo, Zimbabwe last practiced culling in 1987.
Climate change's impact on animals is not limited to Zimbabwe
Recent research in South Africa's Kruger National Park, for example, connected extreme weather events to the extinction of flora and animals unable to deal with the harsh circumstances and lack of water caused by prolonged dry spells and higher temperatures.
According to its website, the Great Plains Foundation is a non-profit organization that seeks "to maintain and extend natural environments in Africa via creative conservation programs."
The group is collaborating with the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, local specialists, the University of Washington-Center Seattle's for Environmental Forensic Science, and the Department of Zoology at Oxford University.
Sapi Reserve is one of the new habitats for the animals relocated in Zimbabwe.
The 280,000-acre private concession is located east of Mana Pools National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famed for its magnificent location along the Zambezi River, which forms the boundary between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Sapi is the ideal option for a variety of reasons, according to Great Plains CEO Dereck Joubert on the foundation's website.
"With 1.6 million acres, this reserve creates the middle-Zambezi biosphere," stated Joubert.
Sapi Reserve's animal populations were destroyed by decades of poaching from the 1950s until we took over in 2017. We are rewilding and returning the wild to its former glory.
Climate change is endangering crucial biodiversity
The Earth is presently around 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than it was in the 1800s, as per IFAW.
Global temperatures will climb by 2.7°C (4.8°F) by the end of the century, according to current forecasts.
It is hard to foresee how long-term changes in temperature and weather patterns will influence our planet's delicate, intertwined ecosystems.
Changes in one region influence changes in others and animals are affected. Some of the most serious climate-related hazards to animals include:
Rising temperatures have an impact on vegetation, food supplies, and availability to water, among other things.
Ecosystems may become inhospitable for certain species, forcing them to travel outside of their regular patterns in search of food and living circumstances, while other creatures die out.
Natural catastrophes
Experts are already seeing a five-fold rise in climate and weather-related natural disasters such as droughts, wildfires, and storms, compared to 50 years ago.
People, pets, and animals suffer terrible losses as a result of these tragedies.
Climate change exacerbates human-animal conflict by causing habitat loss and extreme weather events, pushing people and wildlife to occupy more congested environments.
People and wildlife are traveling further in search of food, water, and resources as ecosystems change.
Human-wildlife conflict frequently has a severe impact on the animals involved.
