In an exciting development for wildlife enthusiasts, four elephants have been sighted near Zutshwa in Botswana’s Kgalagadi region - placing these majestic animals within just 70 kilometres of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The National Park remains the only major park under South African National Parks (SANParks) management without a resident elephant population.
The sighting, confirmed by Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), highlights the ongoing cross-border cooperation between DWNP and SANParks in managing this vast conservation landscape shared by Botswana and South Africa.
This is the closest approach of elephants to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in nearly a decade. The last verified report dates back to 2015, when a small group of elephants briefly wandered through the same area before moving on.
While the semi-arid Kalahari ecosystem is not typical elephant terrain, experts suggest the movement could reflect changing migration routes or an expanding elephant range across southern Botswana - possibly influenced by water availability, habitat pressure, or climate shifts.
Visitors to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park are encouraged to stay alert for potential elephant sightings. Anyone spotting these animals is asked to share photos or location details with park officials at the nearest camp, or contact Park Manager Frans van Rooyen directly via email at frans.vanrooyen[at]sanparks.org.
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