Maputo — Zinave National Park, in Mabote district in the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane, will in June begin receiving a hundred wild animals as part of a restocking programme.

According to the park’s administrator, Antonio Bacar, cited by the electronic newsheet “CanalMoz”, the animals to be brought in include zebras, impalas, buffalos and elephants. The park’s stock of wild animals was devastated during the war of destabilisation and more recently by poaching.

These animals will be transported from the Kruger National Park in South Africa under the terms of an accord signed between Mozambique and South Africa to make Zinave a more attractive tourist destination.

Last year, Zinave received fifty zebras from the Kruger Park.

Zinave National Park was initially set up in 1962 as a hunting area, but was transformed into national park in 1972. It covers an area of 400,000 square kilometres and is part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park.

In recent years poaching has become an increasing problem despite efforts by the government. The most serious problem is seen as being elephant hunting, where poachers kill for the tusks that are highly sought after on the illegal international ivory market.

http://www.poptel.org.uk/mozambique-news/