Re-introduction and supplementation of large antelopes and zebra to Debshan Ranches, Central Zimbabwe

Summary

Several Least Concern African herbivores, common eland, wildebeest, giraffe and waterbuck for reintroduction, plus sable antelope, bushbuck and Burchell's zebra for supplementation, were introduced from 1991 onward to Zimbabwe's private Shangani and De Beers ranches, historically part of their range but reduced by past overharvesting to protect cattle from grazing competition. Animals purchased from Zimbabwean ranches and game auctions were screened for foot-and-mouth disease, transported by professional capture teams, and either held in temporary plastic-walled bomas for up to two weeks or, for hardier or cheaper species like zebra and bushbuck, released immediately on arrival; more valuable species like waterbuck and sable antelope were placed in a fenced 20-square-kilometre enclosure on De Beers Ranch. Monitoring combined incidental sightings, systematic foot counts during cattle round-ups, and biennial helicopter surveys; eland, zebra and, unexpectedly, giraffe (aided by natural immigration linked to regional agrarian disruption) became well established on Shangani Ranch, while waterbuck and sable antelope in the De Beers enclosure initially thrived, peaking around 2005, before crashing to roughly a third of their numbers in 2006 for unclear reasons, possibly poaching, and have stayed low since. Difficulties included eland's large home ranges leading some to disperse untracked, limited availability of larger, affordable release groups for rarer species, and an inability to pinpoint the cause of the 2006 crash. The project rates itself partially successful, crediting sustained multi-year funding for establishing several species while noting Zimbabwe's changing land-reform landscape has both sheltered wildlife and increased poaching pressure over time.