The Uganda Wildlife Authority is celebrating success in rhino conservation with the first-ever naming ceremony in the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Once extinct in Uganda, southern white rhinos have thrived in the reserve, which is now home to a population of almost fifty.

17 southern white rhino calves, born between 2021 and 2024, were 'adopted' and named by various corporations and individuals. The event aimed to raise over 11 million U.S. dollars for rhino conservation.

Rhinos were hunted to extinction in Uganda, but the species was reintroduced in 1996 and the country is now home to almost 50, says James Musinguzi, executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority. “Rhinos got extinct in Uganda by 1983 and through government efforts …, six of them were brought here at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary and they have multiplied to 48.

Twenty southern white rhinos from the sanctuary will be moved to the Ajai Wildlife Reserve in North Western Uganda says Musinguzi. And now we have an effort to take them back into the wild, after doing a feasibility study and analyzing a suitable habitat. And so today is a significant day to us because, in addition to recognizing that the rhino has been rejuvenated in Uganda, we are also able to take them back into the wild places.”

Joseph Masembe, regional director, Climate Change Advocacy East Africa, says the rhino translocation is the next stage of the conservation success story. “The rhinos that have been named today will continue to act as a symbol of our attachment to the conservation of wildlife, specifically the rhinos. As you can see, the rhino population here has grown 48 rhinos today. And because of the space and the ability of these rhinos to thrive, 20 of them are going to move away to Ajai to give space to the rest of those to grow and blossom because the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is like a breeding ground.”

The event marked World Rhino Day, which was started in 2010 to raise awareness of the threat of poaching and habitat loss for all five of the world’s rhino species.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.