In 1960, the African country Mozambique created Gorongosa National Park to preserve the region's spectacular beauty and wildlife. Lions, zebras, elephants, cheetahs, and hippos called this place home. Then, in 1977, this African paradise became a battleground in a raging civil war that lasted 16 years and wiped out most of its inhabitants. Since war’s end, conservationists like park warden Mateus Mutemba, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, have worked tirelessly to protect Gorongosa and replenish its animal populations.