Climate change is forcing Zimbabwe to move thousands of animals in the wild

An elephant is hoisted into a transport vehicle at the Liwonde National Park southern Malawi, July 10 2022. In neighboring Zimbabwe, more than 2,500 wild animals are being moved from a southern reserve to one in the country's north. (Thoko Chikondi/AP)

HARARE, Zimbabwe — A helicopter herds thousands of impalas into an enclosure. A crane hoists sedated upside-down elephants into trailers. Hordes of rangers drive other animals into metal cages and a convoy of trucks starts a journey of about 700 kilometers (435 miles) to take the animals to their new home.

Zimbabwe has begun moving more than 2,500 wild animals from a southern reserve to one in the country's north to rescue them from drought, as the ravages of climate change replace poaching as the biggest threat to wildlife.