120 rhinos rewilded into Greater Kruger as part of the African Parks Rhino Rewild initiative are, on the whole, doing well. The success of the initial stages of the rewilding project reveals a story of adaptation and resilience. The project has demonstrated many successes and a few challenges as these rhinos settle into their new homes. We checked in with Sharon Haussmann, CEO of the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation, to see how the rewilded rhinos are doing.
In the winter months of 2024, 120 southern white rhinos, part of the world’s largest privately farmed rhino herd, took their first steps into the wild bushveld of Greater Kruger, South Africa – under the care of the member reserves of the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation (GKEPF). This was no ordinary wildlife introduction. It was the beginning of a bold strategy by African Parks to rewild 2,000 rhinos – a herd representing 12% of the global population of southern white rhinos.
All introduced rhinos have been closely monitored by GKEPF, allowing us a detailed view of their progress.
The initial weeks in the wild were a period of intense adaptation for the rhinos, according to GKEPF’s Sharon Haussmann. Released from the boma into the vast and unfenced reserves, they needed to adjust to fluctuating resources. Unlike their wild counterparts, these rhinos were accustomed to supplemental feed and controlled conditions. In the bushveld, they must forage for seasonally available grasses. The pachyderms must also contend with predators and wild territorial rhino bulls – challenges they had not been exposed to on the farm.
The risks of rewilding farmed rhinos are significant. Yet, an initial analysis of their progress attests that the planning from African Parks and GKEPF has mitigated many of these risks.
Initial integration and movement
After their release from temporary holding bomas in Greater Kruger (read more about this release here), the rhinos behaved as was expected by the experts. They cautiously explored their new surroundings and gradually dispersed to new areas, according to Haussmann. Tracking data from the rhinos’ movements revealed remarkable dispersal patterns, particularly among bulls aged 6 to 10 years, one of which covered an impressive 262km within the first three weeks.
While most cows established home ranges near their release sites, some bulls ventured into the Kruger National Park – highlighting the dynamic nature of their movement. A total of 14 rhinos – 13 bulls and a young cow – have been recorded moving from Greater Kruger into the national park. It is suspected that a 15th rhino, the mother of the young cow, has also moved with them (though it cannot be confirmed as her tracker malfunctioned shortly after release).
Their integration with existing rhino populations in Greater Kruger has mainly been positive. Staff from GKEPF member reserves report seeing many introduced animals resting and grazing with local rhinos, which shows they are adapting socially. However, there have been various territorial disputes with local bulls. This underscores the complexity of integrating animals into an established ecosystem.
One rhino made a particularly noteworthy journey. The rhino cow, born in Thornybush Private Game Reserve and moved to the rhino farm, was released in Timbavati Private Nature Reserve as part of the rewilding project. Astonishingly, this rhino journeyed back to her original birthplace, Thornybush, and has now established herself there with her calf.
Health and adaptation
The rhinos faced many challenges soon after being released, including mild diarrhoea and declines in body condition as their gut biomes adjusted to the new environment – as was expected. But, over time, their health improved, according to Haussmann. However, the dry season and poor veld conditions in later months slightly affected the body condition of the rhinos, with introduced animals averaging a Body Condition Score (BCS) of 2.5/5, compared to 3/5 for the local population. But the arrival of rains in late October improved conditions.
The challenges to rewilded rhinos
Haussmann says a few challenges emerged during the rhinos’ transition. Tracking devices, vital for monitoring movements, have gradually declined functionality, with only about 30% currently active. A few tracking devices were also removed when it was found that they were causing irritation and inflammation for some rhinos.
“Long-term successful tracking devices have been, and remain a challenge, and GKEPF is grateful for the effort and further commitment of the device developers to improve on this. The accuracy and real-time information received from the devices when functional is unparalleled. Overall, the tracking devices ensured accurate monitoring in the critical period post-release and during the initial dispersal. Sufficient data was received to indicate where rhinos settled in new home ranges.”
Predation has also proven to be a risk. One older rhino, a 35-year-old cow, was attacked by lions, and while her wounds were treated, she later died from the injuries. Another rhino attacked by lions was treated and is recovering. However, many rhinos have been seen successfully defending themselves against lions.
Territorial bulls have also challenged some of the rewilded rhinos, with two eventually succumbing to their injuries. Other rhinos have also been treated after clashing with territorial bulls.
Deaths of rhinos
In total, five of the 120 rewilded rhinos have died, the majority due to natural causes.
“While any rhino mortality is sad and undesired, it would be naïve and unrealistic to think an introduction of this scale would be without some mortalities,” says Hausmann.
Aside from the two rhinos sustaining injuries during fighting and the cow attacked by lions, one rhino died due to unknown causes – the necropsy performed on the rhino was inconclusive.
“We were, and still are, very well aware of the risk factors involved with this project. Every death is investigated, scrutinised and, of course, recorded,” says Haussmann. “The lessons learnt are invaluable, especially taken the scale of this rewilding project. At this stage the losses are tolerable and within an acceptable frame to not affect the overall success of the rewilding project.”
Lastly, one of the rewilded rhinos was sadly a victim of poachers.
“The rhino poaching threat in the Greater Kruger, as in South Africa, remains the biggest threat to the rhino population, both in existing and introduced rhinos,” says Hausmann. “But the private reserves on the western boundary of Kruger National Park have shown incredible resilience in countering the threat, with three rhinos lost to poaching in 2024. The threat to rhinos in the vast open system remains a challenge and is actively countered through a cohesive approach and collective efforts between the private and public sectors. We are optimistic that a safe region for all rhinos will be established.”
Despite these setbacks, interventions from GKEPF, such as relocating an injured rhino to a rehabilitation centre, have prevented more potential losses. The rhino in question – a young cow separated from her mother – was relocated to a rehabilitation centre after hyenas and a territorial rhino bull attacked her. Due to a poor prognosis, she was relocated to recover, and will be reintroduced at a later stage. At the rehabilitation centre, she has been grouped with a crash of rhinos that will all be moved to Greater Kruger as a bonded unit.
The wins
The birth of two rhino calves to rewilded rhinos was cause for much celebration for GKEPF – demonstrating the rhinos’ ability to thrive in the wild.
There have been many other successes in the rhinos’ integration with existing populations, including many new rhino crashes forming, sightings of the rewilded pachyderms mingling with local populations and rhino cows mating with local bulls.
Most introduced animals have settled into their ranges and adapted well. Aerial monitoring has allowed teams to respond quickly to emerging issues, such as the wounds caused by predators and territorial bulls.
Improving veld conditions will likely bolster the rhinos’ overall health as the rainy season continues.
In short
The successful rewilding of rhinos into Greater Kruger is a testament to the resilience of wildlife. And with conservationists constantly monitoring and assisting these animals, more successes will surely arise.
While challenges remain, the progress made so far highlights the potential of large-scale translocations to contribute to species conservation. The introduced rhinos are well on track to becoming an enduring part of the Greater Kruger ecosystem, ensuring the preservation of this iconic species for generations to come.
Further reading
- African Parks purchased the world’s largest captive rhino breeding operation, to rescue and rewild the rhino to safe protected areas. Read more about the historic move here
- Read more details about the 120 rhinos rewilded to Greater Kruger here
- Is Rhino Rewild the most critical wildlife conservation undertaking of our time? Simon Espley attended the pioneer stage of a visionary project to translocate 2,000 farmed rhinos into the wild. Here’s how it went down
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