Rhinos get new home in Botswana to boost population
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Twenty black rhinos traveled 1,000 kilometers from South Africa to Deception Valley, Botswana, where they will establish a new population.
The relocation was part of the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project (BRREP), a collaboration between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. BRREP focuses on building new, genetically diverse rhino populations by moving animals from reserves with limited resources to areas with more space. The rhinos were carefully selected from multiple reserves to ensure a varied genetic base.
After a 36-hour journey in specialized trucks, the animals arrived at Deception Valley and were initially held in temporary enclosures called bomas before being released. Researchers and veterinarians closely monitored the rhinos using tracking devices and camera traps to ensure they adjusted well to their new environment. Deception Valley, a 43,000-hectare private reserve in Botswana purchased by three Dutch citizens in 2017, already supports other wildlife like lions, leopards, and elephants.
The reserve has a dedicated anti-poaching team to protect the rhinos, as poaching previously caused local extinctions of black rhinos in Botswana during the 1990s. Conservationists hope to eventually grow the population in Deception Valley to forty rhinos and spread them across Botswana.
