Positive Impact Travel

In November 2021, rwanda’s Akagera National Park welcomed 30 white rhinos. The largest, single translocation of the species to date - breathing new life into the conservation of Africa’s threatened wildlife.

A young white rhino calf accompanies its mother across Akagera National Park in rwanda, exploring their promising new environment. It’s a remarkable sight, and an encouraging glimmer of hope for the future of conservation.

Last year, the biggest rhino translocation to date took place. The mammoth 40-hour journey involved transporting 30 white rhinos by land and air in a Boeing 747 jet, from the Phinda reserve in South Africa to Akagera. Ambitious? definitely. But the potential to expand white rhino territory and create a new protected habitat for the species away from poachers outweighed the risks.

For centuries the rhinoceros has been a victim of man’s superstition. There are popular myths surrounding rhino horn that make it so sought after and, in turn, a high prize for poachers. In some parts of the world, they are used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments, although none of them have been proven to scientifically work. Others believe the horn itself is an aphrodisiac, and can produce sexual virility. For these reasons and more, the number of white rhinos in South Africa has suffered over the past decade. due to poaching, the Kruger’s population alone has declined by 53% since 2013.

Ten years ago, no one would have put Akagera at the top of their list for wildlife rehabilitation. It was depleted and overrun by cattle, but the sheer size and potential of the national park caught the attention of multiple organisations. Over the past decade, organisations like NGO African Parks, the rwanda development Board and Wilderness have helped revive Akagera, turning it into a site fit for wildlife and sustainable tourism to thrive.

Since their relocation, the rhinos have been actively monitored and nurtured to make sure they settled into their new environment; they’re fitted with a tracker, and the park is continuously monitored by anti-poaching units and helicopter surveillance.

Although r wanda isn’t historically a location where white rhinos have existed, the results have been astounding. drew Bantlin, the park’s Conservation and research Manager, has described the population as “thriving” following the birth of multiple healthy calves. This is a great indicator that the rhinos are adapting well to their new surroundings, and creates a hopeful future for the population.

Outside of the rhinos themselves, locals in rwanda are benefitting from the translocation. 2022 is on track to see a record number of visitors in the area. With the travel and tourism sector flourishing, illegal jobs have been replaced with roles that benefit the environment and residents. Conservationists report that poaching has massively declined. Following the translocation, communities living adjacent to the park have developed a sense of pride and helped protect the area and its reintroduced species. The hospitality industry now plays a leading role in providing jobs and a stable income for the local community.

Excitingly, the introduction of rhinos, along with lions in 2015, has earnt Akagera the title of being a Big Five national park. On safari you can see thriving populations of lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalos, as well as zebras, giraffes and hundreds of bird species. The flourishing wildlife has quintupled the number of visitors to the park between 2005 and 2019.

Safaris in Akagera National Park are a great way to see - and support - rhinos during your stay in rwanda. The park itself offers incredible safari experiences, including walking and silent safaris, which are considered some of the most ethical ways to see rhinos and other wildlife. Wilderness Magashi Camp in particular, offers one of the best opportunities to see rhinos in rwanda. It sits in an exclusive 6,000 hectares of the Akagera National Park. The camp comprises six luxury tents on the shore of Lake rwanyakazinga, giving you a front row seat to the expansive wilderness.