- Conservation NGO African Parks has successfully transferred 70 southern white rhinos from South Africa to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park.
- The rhinos are the first international translocations under African Parks’ Rhino Rewild initiative, which will disperse more than 2,000 rhinos from a captive-breeding operation that the NGO purchased in 2023.
- African Parks previously moved a herd of 30 rhinos to Akagera in 2021, and says Rwanda will provide a safe, viable home for more — with the potential for future expansion of the white rhino population from there into East and Central Africa.
Seventy southern white rhinos have successfully completed a journey from South Africa to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park. It’s the first international translocation from Platinum Rhino, a massive captive breeding operation that was put up for auction in 2023, after years of financial difficulties. When no bidders came forward, African Parks bought the 7,800-hectare property, which sits 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Johannesburg, and its 2,000 rhinos — as well as giraffes, zebras and other species — for an undisclosed sum. Platinum Rhino was renamed Rhino Rewild.
The rhinos represent around 15% of the world’s total population of white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum). African Parks’ Rhino Rewild Initiative aims to disperse the animals to safe, well-managed protected areas across Africa, creating new strongholds and bolstering existing populations.
The first 40 rhinos were translocated from Rhino Rewild to Munywana Conservancy, a private game reserve in South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal province. Now, 70 rhinos have been moved to Akagera.
“Akagera can potentially hold significant numbers of white rhino,” said Donovan Jooste, rhino rewilding project manager for African Parks. “This, in addition to the fact that Rwanda’s a stable country with a government that’s very supportive of our work, means this rhino population could be very important for the species’ long-term success. African Parks relocated a herd of 30 rhino to Akagera in 2021, which we’re thrilled to say has grown. This gives us comfort in the knowledge that the new arrivals can thrive here. Rwanda’s location on the continent is also ideal for potential future expansion of the white rhino population into East and Central Africa.”
Dave Balfour, an independent expert who chairs the African Rhino Specialist Group at the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority and who isn’t part of the Rhino Rewild Initiative, said that “While rhino conservation requires that the rhinos are safe, there is a lot more to consider when planning a translocation.”
“The translocation of southern white rhinos to Akagera National Park takes them out of their recent historical range and, although they may be relatively secure from poaching, other risks are introduced that must be managed carefully,” said Balfour “For example, risks include potential negative impacts on the receiving habitat, or that the rhinos are exposed to unfamiliar diseases or fail to adapt to the new environment.”
Translocations are complex and challenging, and can lead to fatalities. In May 2018, four of six critically endangered black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) that African Parks moved from South Africa to Chad’s Zakouma National Park died when they failed to adapt to eating the vegetation in their new home.
The latest translocation was completed in two stages, each involving 35 rhinos. The first batch started out on June 4 and the second on June 7, and were continuously monitored by veterinary teams. The rhinos were initially moved from the Rhino Rewild site to Munywana to expose them to natural diseases and climatic conditions, prior to their move to Akagera. The animals’ final 3,400-km (2,100-mi) journey took two days for each of the two groups. They were transported from Munywana by truck to Durban, then flown to Kigali, the Rwandan capital, from where they were finally transported to Akagera by road.
The translocation was the culmination of months of planning and collaboration between the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), African Parks and Munywana Conservancy.
“We’re confident these rhinos will successfully adapt to their new home in Akagera,” Jooste said. “As with all translocations and management interventions, there’s always an element of risk, but we have mitigation procedures in place and will be constantly monitoring the well-being of each individual animal.”
Further translocations from Rhino Rewild are expected this year and beyond. For now, the Rhino Rewild Initiative is celebrating a milestone, Jooste said: “We’re excited about this and see it as an enormous opportunity to safeguard the future of white rhino. It’s a complex process, but it will all be worth it once the rhinos are safe and thriving in Akagera.”
Banner image: A southern white rhino explores its surrounding after translocation from South Africa to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park. Image © Gael Vande Weghe.
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