100 Animals to be reintroduced to Zambian ecosystem after local extinction

$150,000 campaign will fund wildlife return and document the effort in upcoming film Killing the Shepherd: Return of the Wild

WHITEFISH, Mont., April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Shepherds of Wildlife Society today announced the launch of Operation Return of the Wild, a global fundraising and media campaign to restore wildlife in Zambia's 1.2 million-acre Lower Luano Game Management Area.

Wildlife once wiped out from parts of Zambia's Lower Luano ecosystem will be returned this year through a new conservation effort aimed at reversing the collapse of local animal populations. The initiative will support the reintroduction of 50 Puku antelope and 50 Cape buffalo into areas where wildlife populations were driven to local extinction, largely due to bushmeat poaching and the loss of economic value tied to wildlife on the landscape.

The project is being conducted in partnership with the Zambia Department of National Parks and Wildlife, the Kingdom of Shikabeta and Makasa Safaris, with on-the-ground operations led by experienced wildlife capture teams and veterinarians.

In many parts of rural Africa, wildlife disappears when it no longer holds value for the people living alongside it. Without incentives to protect it, animals are often lost to subsistence use and broader illicit trade pressures.

According to the United Nations, bushmeat poaching is part of an estimated $2 billion global black market industry, contributing to the rapid depletion of wildlife populations across large portions of the continent.

"Wildlife does not disappear by accident," said Tom Opre, founder and CEO of Shepherds of Wildlife Society. "It disappears when it stops having value to the people who live with it. This effort is about bringing that value back and restoring wildlife in a way that actually works."

Bushmeat poaching can lead to the complete loss of wildlife populations in a region, degrading ecosystems and removing a critical natural resource for surrounding communities. Operation Return of the Wild is designed to reverse that trajectory by restoring animals and rebuilding the systems needed to sustain them.

The campaign will fund a full-scale wildlife relocation effort involving helicopter-assisted capture, ground transport, veterinary teams and temporary acclimation enclosures known as bomas. Animals will be safely captured and transported to protected areas, where they will remain for approximately five to six weeks before being released into the wild.

Funds raised will support capture operations, boma construction and the training and deployment of local game scouts to protect the animals during and after reintroduction. The campaign goal is $150,000, with a target completion date of June 30.

Unlike many conservation efforts, Operation Return of the Wild will be documented in real time for a global audience. The project will serve as a central storyline in the upcoming documentary Killing the Shepherd: Return of the Wild, offering a rare look at wildlife restoration and the role rural communities play in its success.

"This is not a theory," Opre said. "This is animals going back onto a landscape where they have been gone, and people will be able to see exactly what it takes to make that happen."

Campaign activities begin immediately, with fundraising and media outreach continuing through June. Wildlife capture and relocation operations are expected to begin in mid-July, with release into restored habitat between August and September.

The campaign includes opportunities for public and private support, including wildlife sponsorships and conservation partnerships. Select donors may have the opportunity to observe portions of the operation in Zambia, including capture and release phases, subject to logistical constraints.

About Shepherds of Wildlife Society

Shepherds of Wildlife Society is a cinematic conservation organization using film and storytelling to examine the relationship between people, wildlife and the landscapes they share. Through documentary production and strategic media, the organization advances a model of conservation rooted in science, sustainable use and responsible stewardship—recognizing that the future of wildlife is inseparable from the well-being, dignity and livelihoods of the people who live alongside it.

For more information please visit https://shepherdsofwildlife.org

Watch the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnQWGLUrKYk

Media Contact:
Adam Handelsman
SpecOps Communications
[email protected]
(512) 363-0594

SOURCE Shepherds of Wildlife Society