The rewilding of Zinave National Park in Mozambique has reached another milestone with the translocation of 10 black rhinos from South Africa.
The translocation – which included five males and five females donated by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife – was carried out in conjunction with Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas (ANAC) and Peace Parks Foundation. ANAC and Peace Parks co-manage the park under a 20-year agreement signed in 2020.
The rhinos, sourced from Ithala Game Reserve and Ezemvelo’s three Black Rhino Range Expansion Project sites, were initially relocated to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in preparation for the journey to Zinave. They will form a founder black rhino population for the rewilded park after the species became extinct in the region five decades ago.
“This is a significant conservation success. We congratulate the government of Mozambique and its co-management partner, Peace Parks Foundation, on achieving this important milestone. Establishing new founder populations is one of many critical interventions to secure the future of these species,” said Dion George, the South African Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
Through the rewilding initiative, Zinave now hosts breeding populations of white and black rhinos after 37 white rhino were reintroduced to the park in 2022. To date, 2 540 game animals representing 16 different species have been introduced to Zinave.
