Nine female white rhinos have been moved into Mozambique’s Zinave National Park, the latest step in a years-long effort to bring back wildlife lost during the country’s civil war.
Mozambique lost virtually all of several large animal species during the war from 1977 to 1992, as poaching surged and centralized control of rural areas broke down. Rhinos were among the animals driven to local extinction.
Reintroduction work over the past 10 years has rebuilt Zinave’s rhino population. The park now has 39 white rhinos and 22 black rhinos brought in from South Africa.
Breeding has already taken place, including the birth of a black rhino calf. The report says that has bolstered the status of the critically endangered species.
The rhinos are kept inside a high-security sanctuary with investment in ranger capacity, surveillance systems, monitoring technology and protection infrastructure.
“This translocation marks a chapter of pride and hope in Mozambique’s conservation journey,” said Pejul Calenga, director-general of Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas.
“By returning white rhinos to Zinave, we are not only securing the future of a keystone species but also restoring ecosystem balance, creating investment opportunities in the wildlife economy, supporting local community development, and demonstrating what is possible when partners work together for nature.”
Zinave sits along the Limpopo River and borders Zimbabwe. The park is managed by Peace Parks Foundation, a nonprofit that oversees protection and sustainable development across 10 cross-border park areas in sub-Saharan Africa.
Peace Parks began its repopulation program in Zinave in 2016. The park had become known as “the silent park,” a name linked to its wartime losses.
Since then, 2,540 animals from 16 species have been moved into Zinave from neighboring countries. They include seven endangered African bush elephants, as well as giraffe, zebra, sable, impala, hyenas, leopards, reedbuck, waterbuck and buffalo.
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