This story of the reintroduction of rhinos into the vast national parks of Uganda gives us all hope that we can actually curb our tendencies to irresponsibly exploit our natural world without major consequences for the planet and for ourselves – forty years after the last northern white rhino was poached in 1983, they are back in the wild.
For the first time in more than four decades, rhinos have returned to Uganda’s Kidepo Valley National Park, where poachers once wiped them out for their horns and meat. Last month, two southern white rhinos, which are genetically very close to their northern white cousins, became the first of eight animals intended to re-establish a population in the park, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
By 1983, hunters had slaughtered every southern white rhino in Kidepo, in a spree of killing which occurred across all of Uganda’s national parks – the parks had once supported around 700 of these massive animals and this loss resulted in the species’ complete extinction in the wild in Uganda.
“This moment marks the beginning of a new rhino story for Kidepo Valley National Park,” UWA’s executive director James Musinguzi said. “Translocation of these rhinos is the first step in restoring a species that once formed part of the park’s natural heritage,” he added.
Musinguzi said the initiative is guided by a study that looked at habitat suitability, ecological needs and security conditions, and found that Kidepo was one of the best sites for successfully reintroducing the species. The UWA said a secure rhino sanctuary, outfitted with perimeter fencing, access roads, firebreaks, ranger facilities, water systems and monitoring technology was put in place to ensure the animals are effectively protected and managed.
The two rhinos were moved to Kidepo, a vast expanse of savannah in the remote north-east of the country, from a privately owned ranch in Nakasongola, which is about 100 km (62 miles) north of the capital, Kampala. The ranch has been breeding rhinos since 2005, when it imported four southern white rhinos from a Kenyan game reserve.
Poaching is still a challenge in Uganda, where authorities continue to arrest and prosecute individuals found with ivory from elephants, as well as live animals such as pangolins and other endangered species, conservationists report. The illicit rhino horn market remains lucrative throughout Africa, fuelled by their use in traditional medicine in several Asian countries. So comprehensive protection of these animals is essential for their futures. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies even the southern white rhino as “near threatened” saying their population is decreasing – a survey from 2020 said there were just over 10,000 of them left in existence.
This is a refreshing story in an otherwise dire picture of the fate of elephants, big cats, and many other creatures in the vast savannahs of east and south Africa. There are an increasing numbers of stories of such conservation efforts across Africa and Asia, and even for the buffalo and wild horses of North America. However, there are notable exceptions: Polar bears from my blog last week are one example where much more needs to be done; protection of blue whales, and whales in general; Bearded Vultures, again from one of my recent blogs; protection of sharks; and many other species that we humans have decimated. The list is extensive and, perhaps surprisingly, should include us. The way we are going we are headed towards our own extermination as humans if we don’t join together and make some essential decisions about population growth, pollution, and irresponsible use of the earth’s limited resources. We are resourceful, so let’s hope we wake up and address those issues in time to avoid almost certain calamity.
