OVERWHELMING SUCCESS OF RHINO FUND UGANDA’S BREEDING PROGRAMME
(Posted 27th December 2018)
(Photo credit Angie Genade, RFU / Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary taken this early morning)
At 02.30 hrs last night was the birth of rhino baby number 20 reported from the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
This makes the Uganda breeding and rhino re-introduction programme one of the most successful if not the most successful of its kind with reproduction cycles of less than 2 1/2 years. This has by experts been credited to both the suitable habitat and environment of Ziwa as well as the professional management of the sanctuary throughout the ranks.
Initially started with six adults, four funded by donations and then commercially purchased by RFU from the Solio Game Reserve in Kenya and two donated to the Rhino Fund Uganda by Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida, which flew the two rhinos to Entebbe, paid for the transport to the sanctuary and even footed the initial vet bills, has the population since risen to now 25 animals.
The Southern White rhino species, while not originally present in Uganda – the Northern White rhino subspecies was resident in Uganda until poached to extinction in the early 1980’s – is the most populous of the few remaining subspecies in Africa, followed by the Eastern Black rhino species.
As and when the population on Ziwa has grown enough will the Rhino Fund Ugandsa in conjunction with the Uganda Wildlife Authority then prepare a second secured sanctuary in one of the national parks – Murchison and Kidepo are under consideration – and begin to relocate a breeding stock there to build on the success of the programme established at Ziwa and ensure a sustained future for rhinos in Uganda.
Congratulations are extended to Angie Genade and her team on this latest breeding success!
