Charging ahead - Final group of female endangered white rhinos relocated to Zinave in ambitious cross-border project

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Charging ahead - Final group of female endangered white rhinos relocated to Zinave in ambitious cross-border project

"The final group of nine female endangered white rhinos arrived at Zinave National Park on Thursday, completing a 48-hour journey and bringing an ambitious cross-border relocation project to a successful conclusion. Footage filmed last week follows the rhinos on their 1,600-kilometre journey from Manketti Game Reserve in South Africa to Zinave National Park in Mozambique. Footage shows the animals being darted and loaded onto trucks before setting off on the long road trip, ending with a final farewell from the translocation team as the rhinos head out to explore their new home. "It (Exxaro) made the decision to relocate the rhino for reasons of adding to genetic diversity in other countries but also to get the rhino away from high-density population groups and into conservation areas that are more secure," said Karin Ireton, independent non-executive director at Exxaro. The transfer of the endangered animals from South Africa marks a major step in efforts to rebuild healthy black and white rhino populations in Mozambique and strengthen the country's broader biodiversity recovery. "Zinave National Park had rhinos 50 years ago. And they were regionally extinct due to poaching pressure. So it was really important for us to get these rhinos back to their former habitat," said Kester Vickery, co-founder of Conservation Solutions. Vickery described the operation as "one of the longest road translocations of rhinos ever attempted before". The complex undertaking required months of planning, specialised transport, technical coordination and round-the-clock veterinary support. The newcomers join the park's existing white rhino population, bringing the total number to 39 inside the 4,080-square-kilometre reserve. Park authorities hope the growing white rhino herd, alongside Zinave's 22 black rhinos, will establish the first viable founder populations capable of sustaining themselves in the wild. The relocation was carried out by Mozambique's National Administration for Conservation Areas (ANAC), Exxaro Resources and the Peace Parks Foundation, with support from South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment."

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