April 2023 is the most exciting month of the year so far at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary – Uganda as two baby rhinos were born in a space of 2 days.
Adventure Consults cannot hold the excitement of sharing the good news! On 12th April 2023, Uhuru one of the female rhinos at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary gave birth to a new baby, and as the team at the sanctuary was still celebrating, 14th April saw another baby arrival by Malaika. The lnew births bring the number of Rhinos at the sanctuary to 38.
Malaika and Uhuru are sisters who were born by Nandi, a female Rhino that arrived at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in 2006. Nandi was a donation given to Uganda by Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida, the United States of America. At the time, Nandi was only 7 years old and was brought together with Hassan, a male Rhino who was only 5 years old.
Remarking on the latest development, Mr. Sam Mwandha- the Executive Director Uganda Wildlife Authority commended the efforts of UWA as being fruitful. “This is what conservationists wish to see”, he said. Mr. Mwandha also added that this is a tremendous achievement from 1983 when Rhinos were declared extinct in Uganda thus the reintroduction and breeding efforts are evident for everyone to see.
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the only home to Uganda’s Rhino population in the wild is jointly managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority and Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch. The Sanctuary established in 2005 to re-introduce the Southern White Rhinos into their natural habitat within the environs of Murchison Falls National Park. With the current preliminary studies undertaken by Uganda Wildlife Authority, there are plans of re-introducing these majestic big mammals into the wild in Ajai Wildlife Reserve, in West Nile. This will help in establishing viable populations of wild southern white Rhinos in this Protected Area.
The re-introduction of the southern White Rhinos into the Wild is in line with Objective 2 of the Uganda Wildlife Policy 2014 that is to “sustainably manage the country’s wildlife populations as well as the protection of threatened and endangered wildlife species and their natural habitats”. It is for this reason that the decade long (2018-2028) National Rhino Conservation and Management Strategy was drafted to guide the programs related to conservation of these majestic big mammals.
About Southern White Rhinos.
Known for their distinctive flat and broad mouths used for grazing, the southern White Rhinos are near threatened creatures with short legs, long heads, and wide front lips. They are the most social of all Rhino species, and always form large groups. They weigh over 2000 kilograms and can grow up to 6-feet high.
These creatures surprisingly don’t have very good eyesight hence may not be able to see you when standing still at 30 meters but have incredible sense of smell. Southern White Rhinos are primarily herbivores that graze on short grasses.
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife ranch is the proud home to white rhinos. As of April 2023, the number of rhinos has grown to 38 individuals and here is the only place in Uganda to see Rhinos in the wild.
The sanctuary is not only popular for Rhinos but also has got a variety of birds and wildlife species including the shoebill stork.
Adventure Consults offers tours to the Rhino sanctuary, either as day excursions or part of the main safaris to the Northern route of Uganda. A safari to Murchison falls National Park or Kidepo Valley National Park is incomplete without a visit to the Rhinos.
Adventure Consults specializes in tailormade private safari to Uganda. inqouries can be sent to sales@adventureconsults.com for personalized safari arrangements.