- Title: Conservancy rekindles hope for Uganda's rhino population
- Date: 9th December 2021
- Summary: NAKASONGOLA DISTRICT, UGANDA (RECENT) (REUTERS)(PART MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF RHINOS IN THE NATIONAL PARK TWO RHINOS MOVING THROUGH THE BUSH OKELLO HOLDING RADIORHINOS SEEN THROUGH TREES RHINO SPECIALIST MOSES OKELLO STANDING AND WATCHING RHINOS PASSING DRONE SHOT OF RANGERS AND RHINO SPECIALIST WALKING THROUGH NATIONAL PARK RANGERS WALKING PAST SEEN THROUGH BUSHES VIEW OF OKELLO WALKING THROUGH THE BUSH OKELLO ON RADIO VARIOUS RANGERS SHOWING THE RHINO TRACKS IN THE GROUND (SOUNDBITE) (English) RHINO SPECIALIST, MOSES OKELLO, SAYING: "We want to multiply these rhinos, protectively as you guard to them, 24/7 to ensure, none of it (them) is (are) lost through poaching. So, that we can achieve our goal, by reaching a number of 40 to 45. so we can release these rhinos (out of) to the National Park, as it used to be their natural habitat." OKELLO LOOKING AT TREE AND POINTING SAYING (English): "Why they rub here. Is to remove some of the ticks or the biting insects." RHINO RESTING ON GROUND RHINO CALF AND ITS MOTHER "KORI" DRONE FOOTAGE OF THE LANDSCAPE SIGN ON BACK OF MANAGER OF ZIWA RHINO SANCTUARY SALEEM AHMED, READING(English) "ZIWA RHINO & WILD LIFE RANCH LTD" OKELLO SPEAKING ZIWA SANCTUARY STAFF TALKING TO EACH OTHER SIGN WITH A RHINO READING (English) "BEWARE!" (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANAGER, SALEEM AHMED, SAYING: "So Covid had a massive, massive impact, (we) reduced the amount of staff. In the period of time that the sanctuary was closed, no one really knew how it was going to go further. So we decided at that point in time, that we are going to try and do everything to keep the animals safe and UWA, was Uganda Wildlife Authority was mandated to come and make sure that the rhinos were secure." ANTELOPES WARTHOGS GRAZING RHINO VARIOUS OF RHINOS GRAZING DRONE SHOT OF SANCTUARY (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANAGER, SALEEM AHMED, SAYING: "We have a huge number of males. There's becoming a bit of a territorial situation. So, we have already again with, Uganda Wildlife Authority, been looking at ways and means and places that we can actually start to do the habitat rehabilitation, or habitat management. Change, the kind of increase the biodiversity of the ecology of that particular area, so that we can get to translocate these rhinos to that particular place." ELECTRIC FENCING AROUND THE SANCTUARY SIGN ON THE FENCING READING (English) "DANGER, ELECTRIC FENCE." TRACKING SHOT OF FENCE RANGERS IN THE FIELD RANGER AND GUIDE PATRICK OPIO WATCHING UGANDA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY SIGN ON RANGER UNIFORM (SOUNDBITE) (English) RANGER AND GUIDE, PATRICK OPIO, SAYING: "You should first of all develop the love for these rhinos and then you can manage monitoring them well. Why? Because we do monitor these rhinos 24/7. If the rhino is resting, you will be resting, if the rhino is moving, you will have to move with it. So, even if it's raining, you have to be there with a rhino, so, it is not something that is very easy, that in general, it takes passion. You should love it first because in case anything happens to it. This is something that will not be good for us so the best that you have to do is to keep in touch. And in case of any danger, you can easily report and then you are reinforced, if at all maybe your few in the group monitoring it. So it is something hectic, but we have the love for it." DRONE FOOTAGE OVER THE RHINOS GRAZING RHINOS STANDING STILL DRONE FOOTAGE OF RHINOS
- Embargoed: 23rd December 2021 08:22
- Keywords: Rhinos Uganda breeding conservancy horns species wildlife
- Location: NAKASONGOLA DISTRICT, UGANDA
- City: NAKASONGOLA DISTRICT, UGANDA
- Country: Uganda
- Topics: Africa,Environment,Nature/Wildlife
- Reuters ID: LVA001F7BFT5J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of rhinos once roamed Uganda's sprawling savannas and tropical woodlands, part of a rich heritage of big game and a tourist draw for the East African country.
But throughout the 20th century, poachers hunting for the beasts' prized horns killed them unchallenged during years of political turmoil, including the dictatorship of Idi Amin.
Uganda's native population of northern white rhino and eastern black rhino that once together numbered above 700 was wiped out around 1983, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
Now a private wildlife ranch that is breeding rhinos is kindling hope for large-scale regeneration of the species and re-introducing them in the country's national parks.
Established in 2005, the conservancy, the 70-square-km Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch, started off with four southern white rhinos imported from a Kenyan game reserve.
"We want to multiply these rhinos, protectively as you guard them, 24/7...so that we can achieve our goal by reaching a number of 40 to 45," the ranch's 44-year-old rhino specialist Moses Okello told Reuters.
"Then we can release these rhinos to the national park, as it used to be their natural habitat."
In 2006 two more rhinos were donated to the sanctuary from a zoo in Florida. Since then the sanctuary has been expanding its crash of rhinos through breeding to its current stock of 33.
Located in Nakasongola, about three hours drive north of the Ugandan capital Kampala, the ranch is set amid lush green grasslands and permanent marshes where hippos wade.
Ziwa also boasts a range of other animals including kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, cats, birds and small primates.
On a recent day Kori, one of the oldest matriarchs at the ranch, trotted off in the verdant bush, meters behind her four-month-old calf, the youngest of her seven offspring.
The intense watching of the rhinos, crucial to prevent a reprise of the past experience, can be exhausting, according to ranger Patrick Opio, 29.
"First of all develop the love for these rhinos and then you can manage monitoring them well," he said.
"If the rhino is resting, you will be resting, if the rhino is moving, you will have to move with it. So, even if it's raining, you have to be there with a rhino...it's something hectic, but we have the love for it."
(Francis Mukasa, Nazanine Moshiri, Asaph Kasujja) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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