The Pongola Game Reserve in South Africa faces a critical elephant management crisis. Dereck Milburn and WeWild Africa have been at the forefront of this issue for many years. The crisis centers on the eastern shore of the reserve, where elephants have been cornered into a narrow strip of land. This area, an isolated location flanked by cliffs, an international boundary with Eswatini, and a dam, has become a hotspot for poaching and human-wildlife conflicts.The situation has worsened, with the elephants moving across the border into Eswatini, transforming this into an international conservation issue.

Dereck’s team has conducted extensive assessments, including two counts of the elephant population, to understand the scope of the problem better. Dereck and WeWild Africa, with our partners Conservation Solutions have been proactive in this crisis, providing the government with crucial information in the detailed reports. These reports include initial counts and updates on the elephants’ movement into Eswatini, offering a comprehensive view of the situation.