Rhinos are coming back to Uganda. The population in Uganda was completely wiped out in the early 1980s mainly due to the civil strife the country experienced at the time and also due to widespread poaching. At the time, Uganda was once the only place in east Africa with both white and black rhinos. They were numbered at more than 100 white and 300 black rhinos in northern Uganda alone. However, as the country continues to make tremendous strides in its economic path to attaining a middle income status, the rhino is coming back to Uganda. This is happening thanks to the combined efforts of actors both in the public and private sectors keen on replenishing the rhino population in Uganda and also halting the widespread poaching of the rhino that has seen its numbers plummet over the last few decades. About 180kms north of the Ugandan capital Kampala, lies the privately-owned, on-profit wildlife conservancy area known as Ziwa rhino and wildlife ranch. It is located in the Nakasangola District and is the only place in Uganda where rhinos roam freely in the open grasslands. It measures approximately 7,000 hectares of suitable savannah and native woodlands.
It is here in 2005 that six southern white rhinos were first re-introduced into the area through a collaborative effort of the rhino fund Uganda and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Today, the sanctuary boasts of an increasing rhino population that now stands at 15 individuals. The six original individuals included four rhinos that were brought in from the Solio Ranch in Kenya and another two individuals that were donated to the sanctuary by the Walt Disney’s Animal kingdom in Orlando. The union led to the first recorded birth in 2009, a year after US president Barrack Obama was elected into office. Bearing in mind that Obama’s parents were from Kenya and the US, the newly newly born rhino was aptly named Obama since it also had one parent from Kenya and another from the US.
Maximum Security
Considering the massive threats that rhinos face all across the region and in Africa. It is paramount to protect them. Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch leaves nothing to chance. The rhinos here are under a 24-hour protection. Aside from round-the-clock armed guards within the conservancy, there is a two-meter electric fence that rings around the entire area to keep out poachers and other unwanted persons from the protected area and also to ensure that the rhinos do not roam out of the protected area. The dedicated team of armed security personnel numbers more than 70 well-trained game rangers. They monitor every movement of the rhinos within the conservancy day and night. The rangers have orders to shoot any intruders of sight. However, since the establishment of this rhino sanctuary, there have been no recorded intrusions.
Rhino tracking
Over the last few years, the Ziwa rhino and wildlife ranch has become a popular stop-over point for tourists traveling to Murchison Falls from Kampala. The sanctuary provides trained rangers who will ably guide you through this expedition. You will have the opportunity to observe the rhinos at a very close range, but from a safe distance. While at the sanctuary you will also encounter a range of other wildlife species including Uganda kobs, reed bucks, oribis, rich bucks, hippos and crocodiles.
The world’s black rhino population has greatly reduced from a strong 65,000 animals in the 1970s to a measly 2,800 individuals across Africa and Aisha. However, the remaining population faces a major threat from poachers.
With the establishment of the rhino sanctuary at ziwa, Uganda now joins other nations in Africa and Zimbabwe that have actively taken to keeping rhinos in private wildlife conservancies that are meant to help protect them.
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the home to the only rhino in the wild in Uganda. Through years of effort, dedicated staff and the commitment of Tour operators, this project has been successful thus far and is growing in leaps and bounds. Along with rhino, there are many other animals that roam the sanctuary and our responsibility is to ensure their safety as well. As you are in Uganda to go on safari and would like to enjoy the wildlife, you too play a very important role in their safety. Please help us to ensure that they stay safe by adhering to the few regulations they have on the sanctuary. Their well-trained guides would love to share their knowledge, the beauty of the sanctuary and its animals with you.
DID YOU KNOW
- Rhinos were declared extinct in Uganda by 1983
- The rhinos on ziwa are southern white Rhino
- White rhino can run up to 45 km per hour
- White rhino gestation period is 16 months
- A fully grown male white rhino can weigh 3 Tons
- White rhino are grazers, they only eat grass
- White rhino can be aggressive
REGULATIONS
- Speed limit-20 to 30 kilometers per hour
- Any road kill-is to be reported to Rhino Fund Reception
- Littering, Feeding and Touching of animals is strictly prohibited
- Driving around or Bush walks without a guide is strictly prohibited
- Driving on the sanctuary without a guide after 17H30 is not allowed
- Not allowed-firearms/Drones/GPS/Pets. Declare at Main Gate
- A USD 100 fine is payable for not adhering to any of the above
SAFETY WHILE TREKKING
- Listen to your guide’s briefing and follow his instructions
- Switch off your mobile phone or keep it on silent. No GPS is allowed
- Do not make noise or quick movements when by the rhinos
- Stay near trees or bushes when near the rhino
- You cannot touch these rhinos they are wild animals
- Your guide has the authority to withdraw your group from trekking should you or anyone in your group not adhere to the safety precautions
- Be aware of other wild animals and snakes