Ezemvelo sends 20 black rhinos to Botswana to boost population
Ezemvelo helps strengthens black rhino conservation efforts in Botswana.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (Ezemvelo) has donated 20 black rhinos to Deception Valley Private Reserve in Botswana to boost its population.
The translocation to Botswana is part of the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project (BRREP), a partnership between Ezemvelo and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
The black rhino is classified as critically endangered, making initiatives such as this important to the long-term survival of the species.
The 20 animals were captured about eight weeks ago across seven game reserves. Some of these are reserves managed directly by Ezemvelo, while others are existing BRREP sites.
Ezemvelo then combines this progeny with additional animals from its own reserves to assemble a new, genetically diverse founder population before it is moved to a new site.
Translocation strengthens regional conservation efforts
The Botswana translocation is the 18th new population established under BRREP since the project’s inception in 2003, a track record that speaks to its success as a model for black rhino conservation.
“We’re proud to be driving this milestone project, which helps ensure the survival of the critically endangered black rhino, working with partners such as WWF. This is not the first black rhino translocation project Ezemvelo has undertaken with our neighbouring countries and we hope to continue these donations for as long as rhinos remain critically endangered,” said Ezemvelo CEO Sihle Mkhize.
Grouping 20 rhinos together for a single translocation, rather than moving smaller numbers over time, gives the new population the best possible chance to establish itself, reproduce and eventually expand into the surrounding habitat.
This approach also allows Ezemvelo to distribute black rhinos to new game reserves and new habitats across the region, while ensuring that the animals remain well managed and monitored.
Project continues to expand black rhino populations
Ezemvelo, working with WWF, has carried out numerous black rhino translocations aimed at growing the national and regional population and securing the species against extinction.
Ezemvelo and its conservation partners continue to monitor translocated rhino populations once they have been introduced to new sites.
Under the terms of these custodianship agreements, every calf born on a new reserve is either donated to that reserve or allocated back to Ezemvelo, a process that can take five to six years to play out as populations need time to establish before any allocation is made.
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