After a 27-year absence, critically endangered southern black rhino have been successfully relocated to Gonarezhou National Park in the south-eastern region of Zimbabwe.

A collaborative effort between private and public enterprises, and supported by conservation and ecotourism lodge operator Singita, the relocation took more than nine years to plan and was an ambitious attempt to save the species from extinction in this region. The last black rhino was poached in Gonarezhou in 1994.

A haven for wildlife

Gonarezhou National Park is situated in the south-eastern lowveld of Zimbabwe and covers an area in excess of 5,000 square kilometres. Gonarezhou, meaning "Place of many Elephants", is an extremely scenic park full of rugged and beautiful landscapes. Alternative folklore suggests the area was named for the herbalists who would store their medicines in tusks – "gona" in the local Shona language. 

Gonarezhou is Zimbabwe's second-largest national park after Hwange and borders South Africa's Kruger National Park and the Limpopo National Park of Mozambique. The three parks form an area known as the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a total of 35,000 square kilometres of untamed wilderness. The Save, Runde and Mwenezi rivers flow through the park, teeming with fish and attracting a wide variety of animals and birdlife. 

Guest activities on offer at Gonarezhou National Park are game viewing, walking and fishing safaris and there is accommodation available on site in the form of bush camping and chalets. As its name implies, Gonarezhou is famous for its elephants, and many of the largest-tusked pachyderms in the region can be found within the park.

Survival of the species

Plagued by relentless poaching, rhino populations in Gonarezhou have been decimated twice – in the 1930s and 1940s, and again in 1994. The relocation and protection of this founder population is therefore critical to the genetic diversity and future survival of the species, which is not only listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, but also a ''specially protected species'' under the Parks and Wildlife Act in Zimbabwe.

There is immense local pride in re-establishing a new viable population in the national park, as Shangaan culture identifies a black rhino as a symbol of power and trust. The arrival of rhino in Gonarezhou also signifies a return of the Big Five – a major drawcard for ecotourism. 

The rhino were carefully selected by age, social behaviour and genetic composition and are of extreme value to the existing gene pool. They were selected from three protected populations elsewhere in Zimbabwe and moved to Gonarezhou by road, under the expert care of wildlife veterinarians and ecologists. They remained in a holding boma (pictured above) for a few weeks to adjust before being successfully released into the wild, where they are tracked and monitored 24/7 and protected by anti-poaching scouts.

Key stakeholders

Strong partnerships between non-profit trusts, like The Malilangwe Trust, government, national parks and local communities, are crucial for conservation in the future, said Mark Saunders, Executive Director of The Malilangwe Trust. "We wanted this to be a major success for the long-term, which will take a huge amount of responsibility, but we are also excited to watch the process. It has always been our dream to be a reservoir of rhino for other areas to establish healthy breeding populations."

Since 1994, The Malilangwe Trust has been conserving 50,000 hectares of wildlife reserve comprising diverse ecosystems and protecting fauna and 19 free-ranging large mammal species. The far-reaching work that Singita supports through its independent not-for-profit funds and trusts has helped animal populations across four countries in Africa rebound and grow dramatically, turning these game reserves into the ultimate conservation success stories. 

Singita says its high-volume, low-impact tourism model, pioneered 27 years ago, helps achieve conservation goals such as wildlife reintroductions. It believes that attracting like-minded guests and donors who believe in sustainable ecotourism is critical to protecting Africa's most vulnerable species and landscapes.

singita.com

The Malilangwe Trust is a wholly Zimbabwean non-profit organisation dedicated to environmental conservation and committed to the development of lives in local communities. Since 1994 it has been integrating conservation and community development by pioneering science-based protection and reintroduction of wildlife, alongside community programmes that educate and support future generations.

malilangwe.org

The Gonarezhou Conservation Trust was established in 2017 for the conservation and management of the Gonarezhou National Park. The trust is an innovative conservation partnership founded by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the Frankfurt Zoological Society and mandated with the protection and development of the Gonarezhou National Park for 20 years. The focus of the trust is on the ecological, social and economic sustainability of the park and its role in the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area.

Gonarezhou Conservation Trust

Photos: Dillan Prinsloo/Singita

Useful links

​The Park | Gonarezhou National Park