The return of Southern white rhinos to Kidepo Valley National Park after 43 years of being wiped out by angry poachers, as the last seen and killed rhino was in Narus Valley in 1983, is significant. Rhinos used to roam freely in Kidepo Valley in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but because of constant hunting by poachers, they went into extinction. Kidepo Valley National Park is Uganda’s intact open savannah ecosystem. In addition, the Uganda Wildlife Authority saw it as a favorable national park for in-house breeding and a breeding ground for southern rhinos and is planning to relocate eight rhinos from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which currently has 61.

First Phase of Translocating Southern White Rhinos to Kidepo Valley National Park

The first two Southern white rhinos out of eight were successfully translocated on March 18, 2026, and the next are expected on March 21, 2026, by different teams of funders and supporters who included Northern Range Lands Trust, Wildlife Landscapes East Africa in Kenya and Uganda Conservation Foundation, who provided sanctuary development, infrastructure preparation, equipment provision, and logistical planning for successful operation and health for the rhinos from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to Kidepo Valley National Park.

Southern white rhino recovery in Uganda started in 2005;at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary which has been followed by Kidepo Valley National Park’s rhino reintroduction with the main aim to strengthen its biodiversity ecosystem through conservation and boost its tourism at large.