Gorongosa National Park has recently received two more leopards, one male and one female, in a successful translocation from the Karingani Game Reserve. This ongoing effort symbolises renewed hope for the future of biodiversity in Mozambique, say Park officials.
The initiative is part of a four-year project to restore the predator population and strengthen Gorongosa's ecological balance. The partnership involves the Karingani Game Reserve, the Mozambique Wildlife Alliance (MWA) and the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC). Karingani supplied the leopards, while the MWA provided logistical and operational support, ensuring the safe capture, transport and release of the big cats in the Park.
The presence of leopards is crucial to the dynamics between predators and prey, which Gorongosa monitors through wildlife counts carried out every two years. Since 2018, when the Park's cameras captured a leopard for the first time in 14 years, significant progress has been recorded in the species' recovery. The first official translocation took place in 2020, followed by the arrival of three adult leopards in 2021, from South Africa.
More than increasing numbers, this action reflects the commitment of Gorongosa National Park and its partner organisations to protecting biodiversity and restoring ecosystems, placing Mozambique as a global reference in wildlife conservation.
