Animals, during the war, fled across borders to countries such as Namibia, Zambia and Botswana. However, in recent years, they have been massively returning to their natural habitat.
Information revealed by António Chipita, executive director of the Association for Environmental Conservation and Integrated Rural Development (ACADIR), indicates that around 6000 elephants and other animals that fled have returned to the park in the last five years, writes Jornal de Angola.
In addition to elephants, the list of animals that have returned en masse also includes buffalo, lions, jaguars, wildebeests, giraffes, wild dogs, sable and black sable, among others.
According to António Chipita, quoted by Jornal de Angola, it is currently possible to see several herds with more than a hundred elephants each walking in the park – located in Rivungo, province of Cuando Cubango.
The official also made it known that, since 2018, the entity has contributed to the annual count of animals, especially elephants in the said park, adding that for the initiative to count the elephants, the association has had funding from the Namibian non-governmental organization WWF , which provides 15,000 dollars annually, as well as support from staff from the National Police, the Angolan Armed Forces, environmental inspectors and officials from the municipal administration of Rivungo, writes Jornal de Angola.
The works, he added, take place annually, between September or October, over the course of three to four days, with different teams supervising the main areas of the elephants.
In addition, the official also denied information that indicated that elephants are on the verge of extinction in the park, because of being killed by poachers for sale of ivory on the black market, having underlined that the "indicators point to the return and the mass reproduction of elephants" and other animals. "The indicators point to the return and mass reproduction of elephants and other species of animals in the Luengue-Luiana National Park, where the conditions are created to attract thousands of national and foreign tourists in this area that was once considered one of the best charms of wildlife in Africa", said the official, quoted by Jornal de Angola.
Cited by Jornal de Angola, he also said that it was still necessary to complete the demining, retraining or earthworks of the main access roads, as well as the building of infrastructure in the hotel and catering sector, among others.
