(Posted 12th December 2025)
Following months of meticulous planning and ongoing collaboration with stakeholders and experts, I am very pleased to announce the translocation of 24 southern white rhino to Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
This translocation was made possible thanks to our long-standing partnership with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), the local communities, the Munywana Conservancy, funding partners Barrick Gold Corporation and Kibali Gold Mine, and conservation experts.
The move marks an important step in restoring Garamba’s ecological integrity and its contribution towards securing a future for this iconic species in Central Africa. The translocation forms part of African Parks’ Rhino Rewild initiative, an ambitious effort to rewild over 2,000 rhinos into safe, well-managed protected areas across the continent.
Building on a previous translocation in 2023, which saw white rhino return to Garamba after two decades of absence from the DRC, this additional reintroduction is intended to bolster this founder group, further securing the species’ long-term future in Garamba and potentially across the region. Establishing a genetically viable breeding population will help fulfil the ecological role of the functionally-extinct northern white rhino, which used to occur in Garamba.
Rhino transport crates await loading in Entebbe, Uganda, before the second leg of the journey from South Africa to the Democratic Republic of Congo © Wiktoria West
Moving 24 rhino across international borders is a monumental undertaking that demands months of detailed planning and specialised expertise. To ensure success, the multi-stage operation required close coordination amongst veterinarians, wildlife specialists, logistics teams, and security personnel, so that every aspect of the rhinos’ safety and wellbeing was seen to throughout the process.
As part of the rhino adaptation, they were initially moved within South Africa from the Rhino Rewild site to the Munywana Conservancy. This preliminary stage of rewilding exposed the animals to naturally occurring diseases such as Trypanosomiasis and climatic conditions similar to Garamba. The final phase of the journey involved the rhinos being transported by truck in individual steel crates from the Munywana Conservancy to O.R Tambo International Airport in South Africa. They were then carefully loaded by cranes into a Boeing 747, flown to Entebbe in Uganda, followed by a second air transfer in a C-130 aircraft bound for Garamba National Park in the DRC and finally transported by road to the release sites. The scale of this move meant that it was one of our most complex translocations yet.
A dedicated translocation team will monitor their health and behaviour closely for several months to ensure proper adaptation to their new environment and management of any stress associated with the move.
Transport crates travel by road toward Garamba National Park, marking the final leg of the multi-stage translocation © Wiktoria West
In addition to the 24 rhino moved to Garamba, eight rhino were also translocated to Uganda.
We are extremely grateful to the ICCN, the Munywana Conservancy, and conservation and translocation experts, for their partnership and collaboration in making this important move a reality. We extend our deep appreciation to Barrick Gold Corporation and Kibali Gold Mine, and to the founder funders of Rhino Rewild, The Rob Walton Foundation and Pershing Square Foundation. Finally, we gratefully acknowledge the European Union, whose support for Garamba National Park has been instrumental in creating a safe, well-managed protected area for rhino to thrive.
