These elephants are part of an initiative to establish a population of elephants on a new part of the reserve that has not had elephants for an estimated 150 years. This translocation forms part of broader elephant conservation measures within South Africa to expand the habitat available for elephants to thrive. As one of the Eastern Cape’s largest private reserves, and having worked closely with expert ecologists and zoologists for 27 years, Samara Karoo Reserve is well-positioned to offer a sanctuary to these gentle giants.

The journey to Samara was not without issues. The truck transporting the elephants had an accident on the N10 at the Olifantskop Pass. The professional wildlife translocation team, veterinary team, release team and Samara team were on-site to monitor the elephants and ensure their safety throughout the incident. The vet confirmed that the elephants were not wounded in the accident, and they walked off the truck into the reserve with no visible signs of distress or injuries. The elephants will continue to be closely monitored in the coming days and weeks to ensure their health and wellbeing as they settle into their new home.

Sarah Tompkins, Co-Founder of Samara Karoo Reserve, comments: “We are incredibly thankful that the elephants are safe, and that after many months of planning there are now four more elephants roaming the Samara landscape. Samara would like to thank all those involved in the translocation and who assisted with the unfortunate accident, including SANParks officials and the Conservation Solutions translocation team, whose professionalism and deep care for their work was truly in evidence. The safety and wellbeing of the truck drivers and the elephants was the team’s number one priority throughout the incident. We were humbled by the way in which nearby reserves rose to our assistance, lending additional equipment to ensure the elephants’ wellbeing, donating water and food to the team and assisting with organising logistics. The camaraderie of the conservation community is unmatched. We would also like to thank the public for their heartening messages of support and those affected by the road closure for their patience.

Samara Karoo Reserve is a conservation undertaking started in 1997 to rewild the Great Karoo landscape into a born-again wilderness home to all historically-occurring species, including elephants. We are committed to biodiversity conservation and land restoration funded by photographic tourism.”

For further information please contact Theresa Gibbon on 082 820 8437 or at theresa@theresagibbonpr.co.za.