(Posted 16th June 2023)
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Newly translocated white rhinos inside the receiving boma in Garamba National Park, DRC, DRC © Martin van Rooyen
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Dear ATCNews Readers, Dear Friends,
I am delighted to announce a significant milestone in our ongoing conservation efforts in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Sixteen southern white rhino have been successfully translocated from South Africa to the park, marking an important step towards restoring the ecological balance and biodiversity of this historic national park.
This is the first phase of an ongoing rhino translocation project to Garamba which will take place over a few years. The rhinos were moved in two batches between the 3rd and 9th of June from &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve to Garamba and thanks to the collaborative effort, all arrived safely.
This initiative forms part of a larger conservation strategy within the Garamba Complex (GC) to reintroduce megaherbivores to the park. With the extinction of the northern white rhino, the introduction of the southern white rhino to Garamba gives hope that this subspecies can fulfil a similar role and contribute to the park’s ecological functioning. The introduction of a new population of rhino enhances the park’s contribution to the DRC’s wildlife economy and will ensure the conservation of the country’s natural landscapes to generate long-term benefits for local communities and all Congolese.
We are extremely grateful to the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature for its conservation leadership and to the local communities for their support. We also extend our thanks to Barrick Gold Corporation for their ongoing financial commitment and logistical support, and to &Beyond for providing the founder population of rhino. The reintroduction of these white rhino to Garamba National Park is testament to our collective commitment to biodiversity conservation.
To learn more about this remarkable translocation, read our latest blog post.
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Peter Fearnhead CEO African Parks |
