This video is SO MUCH MORE than meets the eye. This video comes to us from Addo Elephant National Park, and the Bellevue Forest Reserve, in South Africa. The group of elephants you see here have had an AMAZING story! In August of 2023 a daring elephant translocation took place in Addo Elephant National Park (see the story of the operation in reels on my page). This group of nine elephants were the FIRST family group to EVER be moved outside of the park! Currently Addo has an overpopulation problem. Where there is currently capacity for 400 elephants, there are over 700 elephants in the park! This has HUGE consequences for all the animals on the reserve, as having too many elephants in a small area can quickly destroy vegetation and natural resources that are vital to keeping the ecosystem in balance. SO, what’s a conservationist to do? MOVE THEM! This is the best way to protect elephants and their habitats, as other methods can be either destabilizing or fatal. A translocation initiative was undertaken by some incredible partners, including CONSERVATION SOLUTIONS (@conservationsolutions) The WILDLIFE EMERGENCY FUND (@wildlifeemergencyfund) WeWild Africa (@wewildafrica) SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL PARKS (@sanparksaenp) Dr. Joel Alvez (@the_conservation_vet) Dr. Annie of Grahamstown Vets (@wild_vet_annie) (@grahamstownvetclinic) And others! Translocations are essential for the stability of Africa’s fragile ecosystem, in what’s called a “Closed System”, in other words, an area where a majority of wildlife area are fenced. This means animals are much better protected from poachers, but cannot move across huge distances on their own. The methods that have been developed over the years to translocate animals are safe and effective! These beautiful lovelies were translocated successfully in their family groups, as you can clearly see! They have now settled into their new home, with bonds as strong as ever, and protected by the incredible team at Bellevue (@bellevueforestreserve) where they will live happy lives for decades to come! This initiative is ongoing, so keep looking out for more updates and make sure to follow these wildlife heroes!#reels #wildlife #fyp #elephants #elephantlover