New wildlife and roads for Addo Elephant National Park

Zebra being released into the Colchester Area. Photo credit SANParks

November 2009. Addo Elephant National Park has introduced several large wildlife species and opened up new tourist road loops in the Colchester area of the Park, south of the main game area.

Disease free buffalo
Wildlife introductions culminated with the translocation of over 100 buffalo to this newly developed area of the Park. The buffalo, which are valuable in conservation terms due to their disease-free status, were moved from the Park's main game area by Park rangers and the SANParks game capture unit.

Hartebeest, zebra & eland
The translocation of buffalo followed the release of 80 red hartebeest, 40 Burchell's zebra and over 20 eland into the area. Some of the hartebeest were translocated from Mountain Zebra National Park, while the remainder of hartebeest, the zebra and eland were purchased through the World Bank project which is being implemented in the Park.

New roads
Seventeen kilometres of tourist roads leading off from the Park's Southern Access Road, have just been opened in this Colchester area, giving visitors a richer wildlife viewing experience while exploring this newly developed area of the Park.

Elephants and lions to follow
The Colchester area will see the return of elephants, lions and other wildlife when plans to take down fences between the Park's main game area and Colchester area are put into action. This is likely to take place late in 2010.

The Colchester area of the Park is accessible from the Matyholweni Gate, just off the N2 near the town of Colchester, about 40 km from Port Elizabeth, and includes the Matyholweni restcamp with its twelve chalets. Matyholweni gate has become a popular entrance to the Park for visitors from Port Elizabeth, who then drive through the Park to the main game area and exit via the main entrance gate.