Dozens of white rhinos relocated from South Africa to Rwanda

Two batches of 35 rhinos moved by motortruck and airliner arsenic portion of large rewilding effort involving South Africa and Rwanda.

Seventy confederate achromatic rhinos person completed a travel of much than 3,400 kilometres (at slightest 2,112 miles) by motortruck and Boeing 747 from South Africa to Rwanda successful what has been described arsenic the largest translocation of its kind.

Part of a rewilding initiative, the rhinos were transported successful 2 groups of 35 – archetypal by airliner past by roadworthy – from South Africa’s Munywana Conservancy to the Akagera National Park successful Rwanda, cardinal Africa’s largest protected wetland, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said connected Tuesday.

“The last signifier of the 3,400km travel progressive the rhino being transported by motortruck successful idiosyncratic alloy crates from Munywana to King Shaka International Airport successful Durban,” the RDB said.

“They were past cautiously loaded by cranes into a Boeing 747, flown to Kigali International Airport, and yet transported to Akagera National Park by road,” it said.

The improvement committee said the purpose was to yet rewild much than 2,000 rhinos “to safe, well-managed protected areas crossed the continent”.

📹 70 confederate achromatic rhinos person recovered a caller location successful @AkageraPark! 🦏

In concern with @AfricanParks, Rwanda is restoring the park’s ecosystem and protecting rhino populations for aboriginal generations. 🌿#VisitRwanda🇷🇼 pic.twitter.com/cWbGp45vu1

— Visit Rwanda (@visitrwanda_now) June 10, 2025

The rhinos were released into the Rwandan parkland aft their two-day travel and a veterinary squad volition show their advancement successful bid to “manage immoderate accent associated with the determination and to guarantee each rhino adapts good to its caller environment”.

Described arsenic “the archetypal rhino determination by aerial of this scale”, the rewilding inaugural aims to enactment colonisation maturation for achromatic rhinos and “secure a caller breeding stronghold successful Rwanda”.

White rhinos were erstwhile abundant crossed sub-Saharan Africa but their numbers person dramatically fallen owed to large-scale poaching and hunting during assemblage times.

According to the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), rhino poaching successful Africa roseate by 4 percent from 2022 to 2023, with astatine slightest 586 rhinos poached successful 2023.

The confederate achromatic rhino, 1 of 2 subspecies, is present listed arsenic “near threatened”, with astir 17,000 individuals remaining, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The bluish achromatic rhino is considered critically endangered, with the fig of remaining mature adults listed by the IUCN arsenic 2 astatine most.

70 confederate achromatic rhino completed a 3,400 km travel from South Africa to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park. The translocation was analyzable and was completed successful 2 phases, each comprising 35 rhino, spaced 3 days apart. pic.twitter.com/dv3fLFpl03

— Akagera National Park (@AkageraPark) June 10, 2025

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies