It’s fair to say that the vast majority of us continue to underestimate the threat of extinction across multiple species of wildlife, despite the efforts made by campaigners to shed some light on this issue.
This lack of awareness represents a significant issue, particularly as some estimates suggest that 99% of currently threatened species are directly at risk as a result of human activities. These primarily drive habitat loss and issues such as global warming, which are currently posing the biggest challenges to animals across the globe.
Fortunately, there are ongoing attempts to safeguard the future of some species, including the transportation of a rare black rhino (Olmoti) from her currently home at Flamengo Land in North Yorkshire to Rwanda. But why is this crucial, and have similar projects been carried out previously?
Making the 6,000 Mile Trip Back Home
Olmoti has already begun her epic, 6,000-mile trip across the continent, in the company of four other black rhinos who also previously resided in European zoos.
The journey will see Olmoti and her companions spend weeks in a small enclosure in the Akagera National Park, before being immersed in the existing black rhino population in Rwanda at some point later in the year.
The clear goal here is to repopulate the black rhino community in Africa and guarantee the future of the species, which is confirmed as being critically endangered by a number of the world’s leading environmental bodies.
This project represents the culmination of an almost unprecedented international effort, and one that has the potential to improve the survival prospects of the black rhino over time. It also creates a template for saving similar species across the globe, which is great news at a time when so many animals are endangered.
Have we Seen Similar Projects Unfold?
Interestingly, this isn’t the first project of its type to be carried out, with animal transportation experts Chapman Freeborn leading a similar charge back in 2017.
Partnering with animal transport specialists Intradco Global and Etihad Cargo, the brand helped to return 19 critically endangered black rhinos back to the wilds of Rwanda, over the course of two chartered flights.
Upon touching down in Kigali International Airport (KGL), the rhinos were then carefully transferred to trucks to complete the final leg of their incredible journey home by road.
This was an immense project, especially when you consider that each rhino weighed an average of 2,500kg.
This also inspired the ongoing project that commenced in 2019, following an unprecedented partnership between the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), the Rwandan Government and African Parks.
As a result of this, the five aforementioned black rhinos were able to commence their journey back home, from sanctuaries and zoos in Prague, Denmark and North Yorkshire. At the end of their trip, they’ll be released into the wilderness of the Akagera National Park where they’ll spend the remainder of their days.
Ultimately, it’s hoped that these three females and two males (who range between two and nine years of age) will help to repopulate the black rhino population in Africa.
This has followed years of the species been relentlessly persecuted for ivory, which has seen the black rhino population plummet to the extent where there are less than 5,000 left in the wild today.
There’s finally light at the end of the tunnel, however, particularly if these herculean efforts are combined with superior park management and increased restrictions on poaching in the future.
