In the largest relocation of the world’s second-largest land mammal, 20 southern white rhinos were moved to Rwanda.
According to CNN, after a 3,400-kilometre (2,100-mile) journey involving crates, cranes, trucks, and a Boeing 747, 70 captive-bred southern white rhinos were moved from South Africa to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park earlier this month in an effort to “rewild” them.
Martin Rickelton, the head of translocations for African Parks, told CNN, “Moving 70 rhinos across the continent is high-risk stuff,” adding that so far all of the animals are doing well in their new home.
Largest relocation of the rhinos:
As per the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the rhinos were transported in two groups of 45, first by air and then by road, halfway across the second largest continent.
RDB said, “The final phase of the 3,400 km journey involved the rhino being transported by truck in individual steel crates from Munywana to King Shaka International Airport in Durban.”
“They were then carefully loaded by cranes into a Boeing 747, flown to Kigali International Airport, and finally transported to Akagera National Park by road,” it added.
The development board asserted that they are aiming to rewild more than 2,000 rhinos to safe, well-managed protected areas across the continent.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the southern white rhino is one of the two subspecies that are considered “near threatened” with around only 17,000 individuals remaining.
Notably, as per the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), rhino poaching in Africa increased by 4% from 2022 to 2023, with at least 586 rhinos killed in 2023.
