Rwanda is restoring back animals to its National Parks following years of extinct,black rhino last sighted in 2007were airlifted from South Africa on May 2. The first batch of ten eastern black rhinos was translocated to Akagera National park and will be followed with ten more in the first two weeks of May.
African Parks which manage Akagera Park facilitated the relocation with funding from Howard G. Buffett Foundation, while the People’s Postcode Lottery and the Dutch Government also provided additional support.
“The return of the rhinos to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park opens a new chapter in our conservation journey,” said Clare Akamanzi, CEO of Rwanda Development Board. “We are fully prepared to welcome them and ensure their safety for the benefit of our tourism industry and the community at large.”
Back in the 1970s, more than 50 black rhinos thrived in Akagera National Park, but their numbers declined under pressure of wide-scale poaching. The park, which is a protected savannah habitat in Rwanda, has undergone a remarkable transformation since African Parks assumed management in 2010 in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board.
Seven lions were successfully reintroduced in 2015, whose population has since more than doubled. Security measures have been implemented specifically to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the rhinos once in the park.
