A group of rhinos has been safely moved to a secure reserve in South Africa. It’s another successful translocation in a much bigger initiative to save our white rhinos!
South Africa (20 February 2026) – The translocation was a joint effort between African Parks, the Wildlife Emergency Fund, and the Global Humane Conservation Fund of Africa.
Funding came from the above parties, along with the Busch Gardens Conservation Fund and the receiving private reserve.
The move forms part of African Parks’ Rhino Rewild initiative, which aims to rewild 2000 southern white rhinos into secure, well-managed habitats across Africa over the next decade.
The latest successful translocation of the project now sees a group of southern white rhinos roaming their new home within a protected private game reserve within the country.
For security reasons (and to protect them from poaching threats), the exact number of rhinos and the specific location are kept under wraps.
What we do know is that the receiving reserve has a strong track record in rewilding species and provides the space and long-term protection rhinos need to thrive.
After the move, the rhinos are closely monitored using advanced anti-poaching technology and intensive security measures. The focus is not only on conservation success but also on the welfare of each individual animal throughout the process.
“The success of Rhino Rewild is about collaboration and working with partners who share the vision of creating safe wild spaces and managing them effectively, in which wildlife, and in this case, rhino, can thrive. This private reserve fits that profile where we know these rhino can contribute to impactful conservation within South Africa,” shares Donovan Jooste, Project Manager of African Parks’ Rhino Rewild Initiative.
Southern white rhinos have lived through both near-extinction and recovery. In the 1930s, there were only 30 to 40 individuals left. Through decades of conservation work, their numbers rebounded to around 21,000 by 2012. But poaching pressure over the past decade has taken its toll, and populations have dropped to approximately 17,500.
Thanks to collaborations like this one, which spans multiple organisations and relies on many helping hands, the species has a better chance at recovery. Protection is the biggest win.
“We are committed to seeing southern white rhino populations established across Africa to secure the future of this iconic animal,” says Dereck Milburn, Director of the Wildlife Emergency Fund.
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