Rhinos Without Borders
Rhinos Without Borders, Is a project that recently completed the succesful translocation of 6 endangered white rhinos from Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa to Botswana’s Okavango Delta.
Why is Translocation Important?
Rhinos Without Borders, While at first glance moving animals from one place to another doesn’t seem like the most groundbreaking or innovative conservation effort, translocation is actually essential to maintaining healthy populations of endangered species like the rhinoceros. By splitting up populations and relocating them to suitable habitats translocation increases genetic diversity, supports larger populations, expands the species homerange and promotes conservation tourism in the areas where the animals are relocated. For example relocations have been done (with more planned) in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya because the small reserve as reached its “ecological carrying capacity (ECC).” To reduce population pressure Lewa and the Kenya Wildlife Service plan to move a minimum of 15 black rhinos from Lewa to nearby Borana Ranch.
Rhinos Without Borders, Translocation also provides additional security to the animals by spreading them out over a larger area. This is especially important for these rhinos as the Delta has proven to be a suitable and safe environment for the threatened species, which now faces severe persecution in South Africa with 668 killed in 2012 alone.
It is hope that these 6 relocated rhino will form a core population in the southern Okavango to complement a similar core population in the northern Okavango.
Watch the Translocation!
Rhinos Without Borders is an &Beyond initiative which received support from the Africa Foundation,Motorite Administrators, RHINO FORCE and the Chipembere Rhino Foundation (founded by Hillsnek Safaris in the Amakhala Game Reserve in South Africa’s Eastern Cape).
For more information about Rhinos Without Borders email [email protected]