Communities across Uganda cherish the rhino as a totem – a guardian of the land associated with courage and protection. Sadly, in a similar story played out across Africa, the species disappeared from the wild several decades ago.
But more than 40 years after the last wild rhino in the East African country was shot in 1983, there is hope on the horizon following a recent translocation project to Kidepo National Park.
On March 17, two southern white rhinos were successfully reintroduced to the remote wildlife area on the border with South Sudan as part of an ambitious project to resurrect a population in one of their former strongholds. At its peak, Kidepo was home to 700 rhinos, but all were wiped out by poaching and bursts of conflict.
"This moment marks the beginning of a new rhino story for Kidepo Valley National Park," Uganda Wildlife Authority’s executive director James Musinguzi told news agency Reuters.
A secure 1,600-acre sanctuary has been established within the park's Narus Valley, outfitted with perimeter fencing, access roads, firebreaks, ranger facilities, water systems and monitoring technology. Several ecological studies were conducted to qualify the suitability of the site, which promises year-round grazing, low human population presence and an undisturbed landscape surrounded by mountains and open savannah.
Fortunately, the rhinos didn’t have to travel far; they were sourced from Ziwa Rhino Sanctury in Nakasongola, central Uganda 300 miles away. The facility, which you can visit as part of our Wildlife of Western Uganda tour, has been breeding rhinos since 2005 after importing four southern white rhinos from a Kenyan game reserve. The project has been so successful, the number of rhinos born quickly exceeded the space available, prompting authorities to search for suitable new homes.
Visitors to Ziwa, where a number of rhinos remain, have an opportunity to trek the animals on foot, accompanied by a ranger.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the southern white rhino as "near threatened" saying their population is decreasing. There are approximately 22,540 black and white rhinos remaining in the wild, according to a 2025 State of the Rhino report by the International Rhino Foundation.
Part of a much bigger project, this is the first of several planned translocations, as part of Uganda’s National Rhino Conservation Strategy (2018–2028) which aims to rebuild the nation’s rhino population, with a 5% annual growth rate. Along with reintroductions, the plan focuses on curbing poaching, ensuring habitat security, and strengthening community involvement for sustainable tourism.
