By Alastair Leithead BBC, Johannesburg

Elephants living in the Kruger Park in South Africa are being moved to Mozambique in the latest stage in the creation of a huge cross-border game park between the two countries and Zimbabwe.

The South African elephants will have freedom to move around

The elephants are being relocated to the Mozambican side of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, as part of a plan to spread the animals across the three countries, now fences separating them are being removed.

The translocation of four families of elephants, more than 40 in all, takes place this Thursday.

Some 10,000 elephants live in the Kruger Park on the South African side, too many for the habitat to sustain.

So the translocation serves the purpose of stocking the Mozambican park and providing more space for the animals.

The countries' three heads of state signed an international treaty last year and since then some border fences have been removed to allow the animals to migrate and move around in their natural habitat without man-made restrictions.

It will take many years for the park to be completed and eventually it is hoped an area of 100,000 square kilometres will be protected within the conservation area.