South Africa’s Sabi Sand Nature Reserve recently received 32 relocated southern white rhinos, part of the largest rewilding initiative for rhinos ever conducted. This project, dubbed Rhino Rewild, is run by African Parks and aims to rewild 2,000 white rhinos from a private captive breeding reserve to well-managed protected areas across Africa over the next decade. The Rhino Recovery Fund has supported African Parks in this great endeavor, and Dr. Markus Hofmeyr, Director of the RRF, also sits on the African Parks Rhino Rewild Advisory Committee to help select which protected areas are best suited to house these rhinos.
Located in the Greater Kruger system, Sabi Sand Nature Reserve was previously devastated by a decade of poaching, but has since become a safe haven for rhinos thanks to effective anti-poaching strategies from reserve management. The staff are beyond thrilled to receive a new group of white rhinos to bolster their existing population, which will now flourish in their new home with these increased protections.
Previously, African Parks began the project’s first rhino reintroductions by delivering 40 white rhinos to Munywana Conservancy elsewhere in South Africa. Sabi Sand Nature Reserve is the first protected area in the Greater Kruger landscape to receive any of the Rhino Rewild rhinos.
Read more about the major rhino translocation to Sabi Sand Nature Reserve.