The 747 miles (at least 2,112 miles) from South Africa to Rwanda were completed by truck and Boeing, which completed over 3,400 kilometers (at least 2,112 miles) of seventy species of southern white rhinos, which were described as the largest translocation of their kind.
The Rhino is divided into two 35 groups, first with passenger planes and then by road, at the Munywana Conserce in South Africa to Akagera National Park, the largest protected wetland in central Africa.
“The final phase of the 3,400-km journey involves a single steel crate delivered by rhino by truck from Munywana to King Shaka International Airport,” RDB said.
“Their cranes were then carefully loaded into the Boeing 747, flew to Kigali International Airport and finally transported along the road to Acagra National Park.”
The Development Council said the aim is to eventually bring more than 2,000 species of rhino “safe and well-managed protected areas across the continent.”
The rhino was released to Rwanda Park after a two-day journey and the veterinary team will monitor their progress to “manage any stress associated with moving and make sure each rhino is adapted to its new environment.”
Described as “the first rhino move of this scale” aimed at supporting the population growth of white rhinos and “securing a new breeding base in Rwanda”.
White rhinos used to be abundant in sub-Saharan Africa, but their populations dropped sharply due to large-scale poaching and hunting during the colonial period.
According to the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), rhino poaching in Africa increased by 4% from 2022 to 2023, with at least 586 Rhinos poaching in 2023.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the southern white rhino, one of two subspecies, is now listed as “nearly threatening” with about 17,000 remaining people.
The northern white rhino is considered severely endangered, with the largest number of remaining adults listed at two.
