10 Endangered Black Rhinos Relocated: Johannesburg: A group of ten black rhinos has been relocated from South Africa to Mozambique to ensure the breeding of these critically endangered animals, which have been extinct in the region for 50 years, conservationists reported on Thursday.
The rhinos, consisting of five males and five females, were transported to Zinave National Park in Mozambique during a 48-hour journey last week, as stated by the Peace Parks Foundation, which assisted in the relocation.
Lesa van Rooyen, the communication coordinator, informed AFP that introducing these ten individuals was essential for establishing a viable population.
According to a statement from South Africa’s environment ministry, which also participated in the initiative, the newcomers will “establish the first founder population of black rhinos since their local extinction five decades ago.”
Previously, twelve black rhinos had been sent from South Africa to Zinave, but that population did not achieve viability for breeding, Van Rooyen noted.
Additionally, twenty-five white rhinos, categorized as less threatened, were also moved in various translocation efforts.
The International Rhino Foundation reports that the global black rhino population plummeted by 96 percent between 1970 and 1993, dropping to a mere 2,300 individuals in the wild at its lowest point.
Thanks to decades of conservation initiatives, the species has begun to slowly recover, with an estimated current population of 6,421.
Once prevalent throughout sub-Saharan Africa, rhino numbers significantly declined due to hunting by European colonizers and extensive poaching, driven by the high demand for their horns on black markets, particularly in Asia.
Mozambique’s rhino population was severely diminished during the 15-year civil war, which concluded in 1992 and forced many individuals into desperate situations to “survive in extremely challenging conditions,” Van Rooyen explained.
Years of rewilding efforts have made Zinave, Mozambique’s sole national park, the only one to host the “Big Five” game animals: elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, and buffalo.
