ZIM DONATES 10 RHNOS TO THE DRC

The Government has confirmed that Zimbabwe is donating 10 white rhinos to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Zimparks said the transl...

The Government has confirmed that Zimbabwe is donating 10 white rhinos to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Zimparks said the translocation is being done to enhance rhino regional conservation programme. Zimbabwe is one of the major white rhino range states hence a source country for rhino range expansion to other countries or private stakeholders.

The DRC has lost all its rhinos to poachers. Zimpapers said : The Zimbabwean Government is aware that DRC lost its Northern white rhino population to extinction largely due to poaching. However, for this exercise, a management and scientific assessment of the security and law enforcement status and potential biological proliferation of the rhinos was done to inform the translocation requirements. Since the Northern white rhino went extinct in the DRC there are no fears of gene dilution with the rhinos intended to be translocated from Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe’s rhinos are Southern white rhinos). 

The security and law enforcement status of the receiving property was assessed based on the local (Zimbabwe) and international (IUCN guidelines) standard pre- translocation requirements.  The Zimbabwean Government was satisfied that the pre and post-translocation conditions in DRC met the requisite standards for a successful re-establishment of rhinos in that country.

Zimbabwe has also been instrumental in restocking of new and rehabilitated former range areas such as the Okavango Delta of Botswana. Eight black rhinos were sent to the Okavango Delta in 2016 as part of the 20 country to country rhino donation to Botswana. The regional restocking exercise done by Zimbabwe is important in showing the goodwill and rhino conservation success story synonymous with the country.