It was learned earlier in the week that the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, owned and operated by the Rhino Fund Uganda, is due to receive 6 more Southern White Rhinos later in the year. Once the translocation from South Africa is completed, the sanctuary will offer visitors a total of 12 adults and 3 fast growing ‘babies’, giving rise to hope that sooner rather than later more young rhinos will roam the 17.000 acre reserve.
It is understood that over 60.000 US Dollars are already raised and committed to the translocation cost from South Africa to Uganda while the cost of the procurement will be borne by the Ugandan government.
The Ziwa sanctuary has in recent times been established as a prime game viewing location, where visitors can track rhinos on foot, accompanied by trackers and armed rangers. The sanctuary is located about half way between Kampala and the much visited Murchison Falls National Park and now forms part of most safari itineraries as it remains the only place where rhinos can be seen in the wild, apart from the two animals at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe. More details can be found via www.rhinofund.org or by writing to angie@rhinofund.org
Meanwhile has an ‘old hand’ visited Ziwa as part of his trip across Eastern Africa, when Wilhelm Moeller, honoured some years ago by the German government through the ‘Distinguished Service Cross’ medal awarded to him and his brother Peter for services to wildlife conservation in Uganda, came to the sanctuary earlier in the week. The Moeller brothers remain held in high esteem and honoured regard amongst the Ugandan conservation fraternity, a well deserved place incidentally, considering the work they did in the Queen Elizabeth National Park from the mid 1980’s onwards, then the Kidepo National Park (by Peter) and the launch of the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe (by Wilhelm).
The Augsburg Zoo, where Wilhelm now works as a curator, last year donated 25.000 Euros to the Rhino Fund Uganda towards the work done on the Ziwa sanctuary and he took the opportunity to see for himself what impact that donation had in regard to wildlife conservation and the breeding programme underway there. He was also be able to see ‘Augustu’ in real life, other than having previously received pictures and video clips of the little fellow, who was named after the city of Augsburg in recognition of their support to Ziwa and the RFU.
It was also learned from Ziwa’s Executive Director Angie Genade during a meeting over the weekend, that one of the female rhinos has apparently already gone back into heat, as ‘close encounters’ with one of the males were witnessed by the rangers and wardens, giving hope that sooner rather than later another pregnancy can be confirmed and another rhino birth expected soon thereafter. Watch this space.