Since the coalition between African Parks and the Malawi government’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife, prospects for Malawi’s wildlife have transformed.
When they first came to Liwonde in 2015 - after their success with Majete from 2003 - much of the wildlife had been wiped out by poachers. There were more snare wires than animals in Liwonde. But by working hand-in-hand with the local community, creating new employment opportunities and providing an education on overfishing and poaching, Malawi's wildlife has become a real success story.
500 excess elephants were relocated from the southern parks of Liwonde and Majete to the under-populated Nkhotakota park. Seven cheetahs introduced to Liwonde in 2018 are now 18 and black rhino have been reintroduced on the back of Majete's successful anti-poaching track-record.
There is no doubt that large-scale international trafficking of bushmeat, carnivore pelts, tortoises, pangolins, orchids, ivory and rhino horn continues to be a very real threat but the government has responded with a raft of measures to combat serious organised crime, including launching the country's first wildlife crime investigation unit, introducing critical amendments to the wildlife legislation and pioneering justice programmes.
Malawi is now home to the Big Five as well as a huge variety of other species: from extremely rare birds like the African Pitta to hippos and crocs, giraffes, zebras, a whole host of unusual antelope, porcupines, hyenas, jackals, civets, otters and even some serval and pangolin too.
