Animal population in central Mozambican reserve increases tenfold in a decade

MAPUTO, March 16 — The Mozambican wildlife conservation authority revealed here on Friday that despite the alarming level of poaching, Mozambique has been registering positive results in repopulating animals in its reserves.
“There is progress in some areas; the Gorongosa National Park is an example. In a period of 10 years of restoration we succeeded in increasing the animal population by 10 times, which allows the park to share animals with other reserves around the country,” said Mateus Muthemba, the newly appointed General Director of Wildlife Conservation Areas on his sworn-in ceremony.
The general director said that there are other positive examples of animal repopulation, such as the Maputo Reserve Park, and the results are visible, not only in terms of number but in tourism, as people travelling around the park can now see animals, a reality that was not possible 10 years ago.
The wildlife authorities admit that there is significant work to be done because repopulating animals in the reserve parks can be hindered if the battle against poachers is lost.
“Poaching is one of the threats to our national heritage. It constitutes one of the main challenges that the conservation authorities have to deal with, and this is part of our mission,” added Muthemba.
The Gorongosa National Park is one of the major reserve parks in Mozambique located in central Sofala province.

Xinhua