Animal translocations are widespread in South America, yet there is a lack of systematic knowledge of their motivations and outcomes. I will present the results of a broad survey aiming to organize the information on translocations according to country, objectives, taxon and conservation status. As expected, most translocations are of mammals and birds, and the majority were of non-endangered species. The objectives range from conservation of endangered species, rehabilitation of rescued or confiscated animals, and those resulting from mitigation of large developments. Then I will use data from translocations in Brazil to take a more in depth look at how translocations projects are organized in terms of geographic region and variables that are likely to affect the outcome of the project. We used a SWOT-like approach to compare translocations carried out by conservation projects and by wildlife triage centres which deal mostly with confiscated animals. The results show that although there are many good successful projects, there are also plenty of lost opportunities to have positive impacts on wildlife conservation. In the last part of the talk, I will use the experience from the golden lion tamarin conservation project to demonstrate the importance of formal strategic planning, community engagement, post-release habitat management and other actions necessary to achieve the final goal of reaching a self-sustaining and resilient wildlife population in what often are multi-use conservation landscapes.