Uganda will host its first Rhino Naming Ceremony on September 22 at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola District, marking a key milestone in the US$11 million Name A Rhino Campaign. The event will be presided over by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Launched last year by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Uganda Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, the five-year campaign aims to secure and expand the country’s rhino population through habitat expansion, veterinary care, anti-poaching measures and community conservation programmes.
“This will be a celebration of how far we have come from extinction in the wild in the 1980s to now having 48 rhinos in Uganda, including 46 at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. But it is also a call to action,” said Uganda Wildlife Authority Executive Director James Musinguzi. “The naming ceremony is an opportunity for individuals and organisations to leave a lasting legacy by naming one of 17 calves and juveniles while directly supporting rhino conservation.”
Rhinos were once widespread in Uganda but poaching and habitat loss drove them to extinction in the wild. Since 2006, Ziwa’s breeding programme has resulted in 40 southern white rhinos from an initial population of six. The initiative will support reintroduction into the wild, starting with Ajai Wildlife Reserve, and strengthen anti-poaching measures and habitat protection.
Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Martin Mugarra Bahenduka said the translocation to Ajai will expand rhino range, connect the West Nile region to the tourism circuit and create economic opportunities for local communities.
Under the National Rhino Conservation and Management Strategy (2018-2028), Uganda aims for an annual rhino population growth rate of at least 5%. A Uganda Wildlife Authority rhino translocation committee is working to move the animals to Ajai before the end of this year.
