White Rhinos Reintroduced to Uganda 43 Years After Poachers Wiped Out the Rare Species
NEED TO KNOW
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Two white rhinos have been reintroduced to Uganda’s Kidepo Valley National Park after being extinct there for decades
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The rhinos were bred at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and are part of a plan to replenish the park’s rhino population.
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This is the first time rhinos have existed in the park since the last white rhino was killed by poachers in 1983.
More than 40 years after the last white rhino in Uganda’s Kidepo Valley National Park was killed by poachers, the rare animal is back.
On Tuesday, March 17, two of the rhinos were reintroduced into Kidepo Valley National Park, as part of a plan to release eight rhinos into the protected area, according to a press release from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
The new additions to the park were bred at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. The effort is “the start of a new rhino story” for the region, where the last white rhino was killed by poachers in 1983, according to the agency’s executive director, Dr. James Musinguzi.
Uganda Wildlife Authority prepares to release white rhino
Credit: Uganda Wildlife Authority/Facebook
“The translocation of these rhinos is the first step towards restoring a species that was once part of the natural heritage of the park,” he said, adding: “Over time, more rhinos will be introduced to gradually rebuild a viable and thriving rhino population in Kidepo.”
Musinguzi noted that the agency had conducted a study that “assessed suitable habitats, ecological requirements and safety conditions for restoring rhinos to protected areas in Uganda,” noting that the park was considered “one of the most suitable places” to begin reintroduction.
The rhinos were introduced into a “secure” sanctuary, which is “supported by perimeter fencing, access roads, firebreaks, ranger facilities, water infrastructure and monitoring systems to ensure effective protection and management of the animals”.
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While rhinos once populated the national park, the population was decimated by poachers in the 1970s and 1980s. However, new hopes for the population were born again in 2005 with the establishment of a breeding program at the Ziwe Rhino Sanctuary.
On Facebook, the Uganda Wildlife Authority said the remaining six rhinos would be added to the park in “carefully managed phases.” They did not provide a timeline.
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