Rwanda announced on Tuesday the successful relocation of 70 white rhinos to its Akagera National Park, following an epic two-day journey spanning approximately 3,000 kilometres (over 1,800 miles) from South Africa.
Rwandan officials confirmed this marked the largest-ever relocation of rhinos, animals that can weigh up to two tonnes.
The massive transfer involved transporting the animals in two separate loads of 35. They were first airlifted aboard a Boeing 747, then continued their journey by road from South Africa’s Munywana Conservancy.
According to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), a “dedicated veterinary team will closely monitor their health and behaviour for several weeks to ensure proper adaptation to their new environment and management of any stress associated with the move.”
This ambitious endeavour is part of African Parks’ Rhino Rewild Initiative, supported by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and aims to bolster population growth while establishing a new secure breeding stronghold for the species in Rwanda.
Once abundant across sub-Saharan Africa, rhino numbers have dramatically fallen due to historical hunting by European colonisers and persistent large-scale poaching.
The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) reported a four per cent increase in rhino poaching in Africa from 2022 to 2023, with at least 586 rhinos poached last year.
The southern white rhino, one of two subspecies, is currently listed as “near threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with roughly 17,000 individuals remaining.
In stark contrast, the northern white rhino is critically endangered, with only two females left alive globally.
