There is nothing quite like the exhilarating feeling of taking to the skies and soaring above the extensive plains of the African wilderness, but for Calvin Goosen, a helicopter pilot for Limpopo National Park, this is all in a day’s work. More so now than ever before, helicopters are routinely used in wildlife management and conservation, capable of covering large distances in short periods of time which has proven to be vital in an area as vast as Limpopo National Park.
Limpopo National Park in Mozambique is a one-million-hectare piece of wilderness that falls within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, a protected landscape that stretches across the borders of Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Part of this is also the world-renowned Kruger National Park which borders Limpopo National Park. With an area this large, implementing effective anti-poaching strategies remains a challenge and aerial surveillance plays a large part in monitoring wildlife safety.
The benefit of utilising helicopters as opposed to smaller fixed-wing aeroplanes in areas such as Limpopo National Park is demonstrated in the video above whereby Calvin’s impressive piloting skills are put to the test as he navigates tight landing spaces. Most of the park is unreachable by vehicle and definitely without clearings that would allow for the landing and take-off of a fixed-wing aircraft.
Although both helicopters and fixed wings have their own extensive list of pros and cons, the speed, versatility and agility of a helicopter have made it an invaluable asset in the world of conservation. One of the major benefits of utilising a helicopter when in the bush is its ability for low-level flying and hovering which makes monitoring wildlife, spotting illegal activity or assisting with counter-poaching patrols that much easier. Being able to hover low to the ground, helicopters are often used as a primary method of transportation in game captures and wildlife translocations, which is demonstrated in this video where a darting and rescue operation is carried out in Karingani Game Reserve after a leopard escapes his temporary holding boma. Peace Parks is incredibly proud of the hard work our pilots put in and recognise the role they play in keeping our wild spaces and the wildlife within them, safe.
