Oct 12, 2026 |
Twelve Angolan giraffes brought from Namibia have returned the subspecies to Bicuar National Park, in Angola, after around 25 years.
According to Mongabay, the animals were released on 30 July by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), in partnership with Angola's National Institute of Biodiversity and Conservation Areas (INBAC), and are adapting well, although the success of a reintroduction is only confirmed with time.
Bicuar, in Huíla province, was created in 1938 as a hunting reserve and became a national park in 1964, according to ANGOP, quoted by AllAfrica, which recalls that lions were also reintroduced there two years ago. In a statement released by VerAngola, the Angolan Ministry of Environment specifies that the group is made up of eight females and four males of reproductive age, all fitted with GPS, and frames the operation within the Giraffe Conservation Action Plan 2026-2031. The first monitoring data, cited by the same newspaper, indicate that the giraffes have already established territory and are exploring the new feeding areas without signs of significant stress.
Also according to Mongabay, Stephanie Fennessy, of the GCF, estimates that the park lost its last giraffes around 25 years ago and considers that reintroduction was the only way to bring them back. If the group thrives, the foundation will bring a second batch to reinforce the population and, over the next decade, intends to extend the programme to Chimalavera Regional Park and Quiçama National Park.
The operation follows on from the two herds reintroduced into Iona National Park in 2023 and 2024. According to the GCF, around 140,000 giraffes remain across all of Africa, of which approximately 15,600 are Angolan giraffes, a subspecies that disappeared from much of southern Angola as a result of the civil war, habitat degradation and poaching.
Mozambique is following a similar path. According to Peace Parks, 11 giraffes were moved from South Africa in 2019 to an 18,600-hectare sanctuary in Zinave National Park, in Inhambane, in a partnership involving ANAC and the GCF itself. According to AIM, quoted by AllAfrica, Peace Parks plans to invest US$23 million this year in the Maputo, Banhine, Limpopo and Zinave parks, and the first 20 giraffes are due to be introduced later this year under the restocking programme that has already taken 418 animals from Maputo National Park to Banhine.
Photo: Giraffe Conservation Foundation
