Uganda’s Wildlife Authority began transporting eight southern white rhinos from a breeding sanctuary to Kidepo Valley National Park on March 17, restoring a species absent from the park for 43 years.
The transfer from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, where Uganda’s captive rhino program has operated since 2005, follows a national feasibility study that identified Kidepo as ecologically suitable for wild reintroduction.
Uganda currently holds 61 rhinos, a figure bolstered by the importation of eight animals from South Africa late last year.
Rhinos were eliminated from Kidepo by poaching and armed conflict during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The last recorded animal in the park was killed in Narus Valley in 1983.
Infrastructure prepared before the transfer included perimeter fencing, ranger stations, water systems, and wildlife monitoring equipment within a dedicated sanctuary zone inside the park.
The rhinos will remain under veterinary supervision as they adapt to the environment before any broader release.
Uganda Wildlife Authority Executive Director James Musinguzi described the move as “the first step in restoring a species that once formed part of the park’s natural heritage,” with further introductions planned to build a self-sustaining population.
Funding and logistics were provided by Wild Landscapes East Africa, Northern Rangelands Trust and Uganda Conservation Foundation.
Kidepo Valley, located in Uganda’s remote northeast near the South Sudan and Kenya borders, is among East Africa’s least-disturbed savanna ecosystems.
According to wildlife authorities, the reintroduction is expected to strengthen the park’s ecological profile and support tourism development in a region historically underserved by conservation investment.
