The animals, during the war, decided to go across borders and fled to Zambia and Namibia. However, since last year the various species that fled are returning in herds to their natural habitat.
According to Angop, since November of last year six lions, eight giraffes, 12 zebras, 25 mabecos, 68 elephants and more than 2000 buffalos have arrived in the country.
António Chipita, executive director of the Association for Environment and Rural Integrated Development (ACADIR), told Angop that the amount of animals in the park has been growing.
Classifying this return as "remarkable", he said that the numbers are a result of the "work that the environmental inspectors and the communities living near the park are doing, since the non-slaughter and conservation of the fauna itself is an important step for the tourist and economic development of the local populations".
In order to verify the increase in the number of species in the park, the animal counting activity will continue for the next four months.
This return is part of the "Combat Wildlife Crime" project. Funded by USAID in partnership with ACADIR, the project is budgeted at 300,000 euros.
The project, implemented in 2018, will run until next year. The initiative aligns with the KAZA - Okavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area secretariat, and since its implementation 27 community inspectors have already been trained and have helped reduce poaching.
