The province of Haut-Uélé, in the North-East of the DRC, is now home to a wildlife sanctuary called to welcome a new species, that of the white rhinoceros. This project to restore the population of this species was successfully carried out thanks to the initiative of the mining company “Kibali Gold Mine” belonging to the Canadian company Barrick Gold. The objective is to contribute to the preservation of the species by creating a new population in the natural habitat of the animals, while strengthening the attractiveness of the park for tourists.
The decimation of the species had been caused by poaching and by the various wars that the province experienced. In this context, the mining company, in collaboration with African Park and the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN), has begun a major operation to reintroduce this endangered species into Garamba National Park. . The first 16 white rhinos are expected in Garamba by the end of the second quarter of this year and they will be followed by 60 more over the next three years.
For the provincial authorities, this initiative opens up an opportunity to boost tourism and improve infrastructure: “The arrival of these animals in this Garamba park, which occupies 20% of our area, must be profitable. I think that the arrival of the white rhinos will boost tourism and will also force us, both the central and provincial government, to work on the infrastructures so that we are very frequentable. Because if this is not done, I think we will have thrown money into the water. We assume that these animals will attract the attention of the whole world which must understand that there are people who live around these animals and that there is a park which is found in a province, which wants to reap dividends of its realities and proportional to the investment they want to make here”, declared the governor of Haut-Uélé.
Garamba National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the oldest national parks in Africa. It is located near the border with South Sudan and covers about 5000 km². The reserve is home to several animal species such as elephants, northern giraffes, hippos, buffaloes and okapis. The landscapes of the park include savannas, grassy or wooded, interspersed with gallery forests along the rivers and swampy depressions. Nevertheless, locals and tourists cannot enter this area without special permission