For the third time this year, a group of southern white rhinos have made a big move as part of an even bigger initiative that’s giving the future of their species hope! Rhino Rewild plans to move 2000 rhinos to safer locations in the next ten years, and they are well on their way.
Dinokeng Game Reserve, South Africa (08 November 2024) — A crash of southern white rhinos have made a big move after having been successfully translocated to Dinokeng Game Reserve in Gauteng!
These rhinos were the third group to have been translocated this year by African Parks as part of a massive effort to see 2,000 southern white rhinos rewilded in 10 years—Rhino Rewild.
A joint initiative between African Parks, Dinokeng, WeWild Africa and the Global Humane Conservation Fund of Africa with funding support from the Rob Walton Foundation and Pershing Square Foundation; the ambitious effort hopes to see these rhinos flourish in areas where they will be protected.
“To see another successful translocation come to fruition is a thrilling next chapter in our ongoing partnership with African Parks,” reflected WeWild Director Dereck Milburn. “We are committed to seeing southern white rhino populations established across Africa to secure the future of this iconic animal.”
What’s All the Fuss about Southern White Rhinos?
This species of rhino are under extreme pressure as a result of poaching and the wildlife trade across the world, not to mention habitat loss. A resilient species who have had a tough time in the past century, southern white rhinos have before stood in the face of extinction with only 30 to 40 individual rhinos said to have been remaining in the 1930s.
Thankfully, their existence did not succumb to becoming only a distant memory. The turn-around for southern white rhinos was all thanks to exceptional work of conservation efforts spanning decades. By 2012, their numbers had successfully rebounded to around 21,000.
Sadly, the southern white rhino faces the same enemy nearly 100 years later due to a surge in poaching efforts —especially those of the last decade. The number of white rhinos is said to be around 17,500.
Initiatives like Rhino Rewild aim to ensure the future of the species by moving all 2,000 rhinos from breeding facilities into well-managed and securely protected areas across the continent. By giving the population a fighting chance, the initiative isn’t just supporting the future of the species but also the future of the ecosystems they need to thrive. As mega-herbivores, they shape savannah landscapes, which store roughly 30% of the world’s terrestrial carbon!
Meanwhile in other rhino rewilding news that made us smile this week, orphaned rhino duo Lula and Khulula of the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre have finally gotten to walk on the wild side after nearly a decade at HESC. You can read all about their happy ending here.
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