The Hwange White Rhino Reintroduction Project is a joint project between Wilderness Safaris, the Zimbabwe Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management and the Wilderness Safaris Wildlife Trust, which successfully translocated a substantial breeding nucleus of the species into the Wilderness Concession area of Hwange. The first five animals arrived in July 2007 and were temporarily held in bomas before being released into the wild.
The ultimate aim of the project is to return the white rhino population in the Main Camp area of Hwange National Park to its original size (about 120 animals) over a period of time. This project will augment the small population currently in the area and enhance the breeding potential of the remaining animals in the Matobo Intensive Protection Zones.
The white rhino population of the Main Camp area of Hwange National Park was almost wiped out in the early 1990s from poaching. The small surviving population was augmented in 1999 and 2004 by translocations of animals from Matobo, which has an over-abundance of white rhino in a relatively small area resulting in deaths from fighting and rhino moving out of the protected area. However further animals are needed in Hwange to ensure the viability of this population and provide a better tourist spectacle.
The five white rhino were immobilised in Matobo by darting from a helicopter after being found by trackers and operationally-directed by fixed wing aircraft. After immobilisation the rhino were ear-notched and those animals with adequate horn-size have radio-transmitters implanted in the horns. Thereafter the rhino were crated using standard techniques; the crates were loaded and transported to pens at Hwange. Rhino were sedated for transport and the initial few days in the pens.
After release, the rhino were radio-tracked using standard radio-telemetry techniques, either from the air, or on foot / vehicle. This is particularly important during the immediate post-release period, but should continue on a long-term basis. Horn radios usually have a life of 30 to 36 months.
The release pens were built near Madison Pan, which is close to a Wilderness Safaris, Zimbabwe (WSZ) tourist facility, which is also taking part in long-term monitoring of the white rhino population in the area.
2008 saw more rhino translocated to our concession; further details can be found on the Wilderness Trust website here.
Projects in Zimbabwe
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