Rwanda to Receive 70 White Rhinos from South Africa in Landmark Conservation Initiative

RWANDA, May 16 — Rwanda’s largest national park announced yesterday that it will receive 70 white rhinos from South Africa later this month, marking the country’s largest rhino transfer to date.

The rhinos, each weighing up to two tonnes, will be transported approximately 3,400 kilometres (2,100 miles) to their new habitat in Akagera National Park.

“This milestone highlights a significant step forward in rhino conservation and reflects our shared commitment to protecting and sustainably managing Akagera National Park,” the park said in a statement.

Once widespread across sub-Saharan Africa, white rhinos faced severe decline due to hunting by European settlers and later a wave of poaching that nearly decimated their populations.

The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) reported a 4% increase in rhino poaching in Africa from 2022 to 2023, with at least 586 animals poached last year.

The southern white rhino, one of the two subspecies, is currently classified as “near threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with roughly 17,000 individuals remaining.

Meanwhile, the northern white rhino is nearly extinct, with only two females left alive.

Scientists are working to save this subspecies through a pioneering breeding program involving egg harvesting from the younger female, Fatu, and using sperm from two deceased males to create embryos—representing the last hope for the subspecies’ survival.

Rwanda, aiming to establish itself as a premier safari destination, previously received 30 white rhinos in 2021 for Akagera National Park.

Despite ongoing poaching threats, South Africa’s white rhino population is growing, according to IRF.

This latest transfer seeks to boost rhino numbers and establish a secure new breeding population in Rwanda. — AFP