Upemba National Park Successfully Concludes GPS Collaring Mission to Protect Katanga’s Last Elephants

Upemba National Park has successfully concluded a landmark elephant conservation operation, placing nine GPS collars on elephants across the Katanga region. This first-of-its-kind mission in the area marks a significant step forward in strengthening elephant protection and promoting human-elephant coexistence.

The operation covered three key zones within the Upemba landscape: both the integral and annex zones, and 200 km beyond the park's limits. The GPS collars now allow real-time tracking of elephant movements through the tools provided by our partner EarthRanger, enabling proactive responses to potential threats such as poaching or encroachment into high-risk human settlements.

In addition to spatial tracking, the mission included DNA sampling to help determine whether the park's elephants are genetically pure savanna elephants and to analyze the overall genetic structure of the population. These data will inform more targeted and sustainable conservation strategies. Furthermore, the operation supports cross-border monitoring of elephant movements toward Zambia, laying the groundwork for enhanced collaboration between the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries to ensure the long-term protection of migratory elephant populations.

Throughout the mission, local communities played a vital role, especially in awareness efforts across the targeted zones. Their involvement is key to building peaceful coexistence and reducing human-elephant conflict—an essential element of long-term conservation success. This achievement was made possible through the invaluable support of our partners. The Elephant Crisis Fund (ECF) served as the main donor for the mission. Upemba National Park also acknowledges the crucial contributions of the Garamba National Park, African Parks (AP), the European Union Delegation to the DRC, and the Wildcat Foundation, whose technical, logistical, and institutional support was essential.

This GPS collaring initiative represents a pivotal moment in efforts to protect what may be the last genetically pure savanna elephants in the country. It reflects Upemba National Park’s commitment – with its partners – to advancing conservation through science, community engagement, and cross-border collaboration.

Images: Justin Sullivan