The Garamba Fauna Sanctuary, located in the province of Haut-Uélé in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has just been blessed with a population group of white rhinos from South Africa. This white rhino population restoration project in Garamba National Park has been announced since 2022 and is taking shape.
Indeed, a major operation to reintroduce around ten of these endangered species into their new habitat was successfully carried out on Friday, June 9, 2023 by animal experts. They are the first of a group of 16 white rhinos that will be installed in the sanctuary in the coming weeks.
The project is piloted by “Kibali Gold Mine”, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold, a Canadian company operating and developing mining sites operating in the DRC. Mark Bristow, president of Barrick Gold Corporation, said the rhinos would be followed by others over the next three years to create a new population group for this species, while enhancing the attractiveness of the park.
This collaboration between the company and African Park, supported by the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN), will protect and promote biodiversity and wildlife conservation in the region.
Garamba is one of Africa’s oldest national parks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park covers about 5000 km² and is located close to the border with South Sudan. It is home to many large mammals such as elephant, northern giraffe, hippopotamus, buffalo and okapi. The relocation of white rhinos to Garamba is excellent news for the preservation of this endangered species, which has been almost decimated by poachers. However, for the project to be profitable, the governor of the province of Haut-Uélé called on the central and provincial governments to invest in infrastructure so that the park is very frequentable and attracts tourists from all over the world.