Endangered Black Rhinos Reintroduced To Matusadona After 30 Years

A group of endangered black rhinos has been reintroduced to Matusadona National Park, marking the return of a species that vanished from the area more than three decades ago because of poaching.

The animals, sourced from Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservancy, Matobo National Park and another undisclosed location, were airlifted to Matusadona on the shores of Lake Kariba.

They have been placed in specially built holding bomas for monitoring before a phased release into a secure 175km² intensive protection zone.

The reintroduction forms part of efforts to rebuild black rhino populations under Zimbabwe’s National Rhino Strategy.

Before poaching wiped out rhino numbers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Sebungwe region, centred on Matusadona, supported Zimbabwe’s largest contiguous population of black rhino.

Zimparks director-general Edison Gandiwa said the animals’ return was a landmark achievement for Zimbabwe’s conservation sector.

“The return of black rhino to Matusadona National Park is a historic event and a proud moment for Zimbabwe’s conservation efforts,” said Gandiwa.

“It is a testament to what is possible when Government, conservation organisations and local partners work together with shared purpose.

“Zimparks has always known that Matusadona has the habitat and now, through this partnership, the security and management capacity to support a viable population. Today, that conviction has been realised.”

Conservationists said some of the reintroduced animals were direct descendants of rhinos removed from Matusadona during the poaching crisis, preserving the genetic lineage of the species that once thrived in the park.

Each rhino has been fitted with a tracking device to enable real-time monitoring and a rapid response to stress or injury.

Reilly Travers, manager of Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservancy, said the animals’ return represented the culmination of decades of conservation work.

“It is a moment filled with pride, hope and belief in the power of long-term partnership and shared vision,” he said.

“Today is not only about the rhinos themselves, but about the extraordinary dedication shown over the past 25 years by rangers, conservationists, partners and local communities who helped safeguard these animals for their eventual return to their rightful home range.”

The manager of Matusadona National Park, Michael Pelham, said the reintroduction was deeply emotional. He witnessed the removal of the park’s last surviving rhinos in the 1990s.

Daniel Sithole, country manager of the Matusadona Conservation Trust, said the animals’ return was a Zimbabwean conservation success story.

More: The Herald