May 2010 : Grumeti Reserves, Tanzania

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Rhinos leaving South Africa (photo credits: Frankfurt Zoological Society)
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Rhinos arriving in the Seregenti, Tanzania (photo credits: Horst Klemm for Singita Game Reserves)
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The animals arrived at Seronera Airport in the Serengeti National Park (Tanzania) this afternoon (21 May 2010), in the first phase of a joint venture project that has been cited as the ‘most ambitious wildlife relocation in East Africa over the past 50 years’.

Spearheaded by the Singita Grumeti Fund (SGF) as a major sponsor of the project, in collaboration with Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) and the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), this vital conservation initiative was made possible through high-level government facilitation by the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.

Just over four decades ago, black rhino populations in East Africa were flourishing. “During 1961 and 1962, South African National Parks successfully relocated seven rhino from East Africa to South Africa’s Addo Reserve,” explains conservationist Dr Anthony Hall Martin. “Gradually they were moved to a secure, private reserve where the population thrived. We always accepted that the long term objective was to return them to where they belong.”

“Poaching within the Serengeti National Park resulted in the black rhino population dwindling from 1000 to less than 70,” says Singita Grumeti Fund MD Brian Harris. “Subsequently poaching for the illegal bush meat trade and uncontrolled legal hunting in peripheral concessions saw significant declines in resident game populations. Not only did this seriously undermine the biodiversity and the tourism potential of the ecosystem, but it meant that local communities battled to secure their livelihoods in a sustainable way.”

“A central aim of Singita Grumeti Reserves (SGR) is to promote the conservation of rare species such as black rhino. Since 2002, SGR has been striving to secure the area, and works with communities to create alternative economies to poaching. Resident game populations have flourished.”

Positive improvements within TANAPA led to stabilising the area’s security, thus creating favourable conditions for the repatriation project. “Re-introducing these rhinos will help to link the existing groups which occur in various isolated pockets,” says Harris. “This will allow for vital genetic exchange, creating a stronger, healthier population. These animals are going back to where they’re really needed, and their protection will have far-reaching effects on the entire Serengeti ecosystem.”

The success of the endeavour to return the rhinos back to their natural habitat in the Serengeti - scene of Africa’s thrilling annual wildebeest migration, will be a monumental achievement in the field of conservation. In preparation for the arrival of the rhinos in the Serengeti, and to ensure their protection during the relocation process, and long-term sustainability into the future, an elite Serengeti Rhino Protection Unit (SRPU) has been established comprising 23 carefully selected and trained rangers.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), now known as the World Conservation Union, it is estimated that black rhino population levels dropped from some 65 000, to an all-time low of 2 410 in 1995, largely due to poaching. Concerted conservation efforts undertaken on a continental level over the past 15 years, has seen numbers escalating to approximately 4 230 Black Rhino currently living in the wild worldwide – with only 123 animals, a mere 3% of the total population, remaining in Tanzania. Once found throughout sub-Saharan Africa (with the exception of the Congo Basin), today almost 98% of the black rhino population is found in just four countries: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

The balance of the group of 32 will be introduced over a period of two years. One of the heroes of this continental jet-setting project is Little Richard, a black rhino who was orphaned when his mother was killed by poachers. Hand-reared by conservationists Riaan and Lorna Labuschagne, Little Richard made the long trek from Ngorongoro to Addo, and then to the private reserve. Now rehabilitated into the wild, this magnificent bull will be completing the circle when he arrives in Tanzania later this year.