Photo credits: Prince Albert II Foundation Instagram.
BANHINE NATIONAL PARK, MOZAMBIQUE - For the first time in over a quarter-century, Southern giraffes may once again roam the golden grasslands of Banhine National Park. The species, once a familiar silhouette on Mozambique’s horizon, vanished from the park more than 25 years ago - a casualty of the devastation wrought by the nation’s civil war.
Today, Southern giraffes remain among the most threatened large mammals in the region, their numbers precariously low. Yet a new 22-month conservation initiative - running from January 2025 to December 2026 — seeks to reverse that trend.
The Giraffe Conservation Foundation, with the support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, will oversee the reintroduction of 20 Southern giraffes into Banhine. The project’s aim is not only to restore an iconic species to its rightful home but to help revitalize the park’s ecosystem and foster opportunities for local communities through conservation and eco-tourism.
Photo credits: Prince Albert II Foundation Instagram.
“This is conservation as collaboration,” the organizers have emphasized. The effort represents a powerful step toward ensuring a sustainable future for both people and wildlife in Mozambique, demonstrating that biodiversity protection and human prosperity can go hand in hand.
The return of the Southern giraffe to Banhine National Park will mark a rare and hopeful chapter in the broader story of Africa’s wildlife conservation - a reminder that, even after decades of absence, nature’s most majestic figures can reclaim their place on the land.