Rhinos in Akagera National Park is among the big 5 mammals found in this wildlife park including Lions, Elephant, Buffalo, and Leopard. 18 Black Rhinos were introduced in Akagera National Park making Rwanda officially a big 5 country again after so many years. The eastern black Rhinoceros were received from South Africa at Kigali international airport and transferred to Akagera National Park.
It is hoped that the introduction of black Rhinos in Akagera National Park will help in boosting wildlife tourism in Rwanda for anyone interested in Rwanda safaris because of the increase in animal diversity. Book Now
Rhino in Akagera National Park
The coming of Rhino in Rwanda’s-Akagera National Park home to all the big 5 which are Lions, Elephants, Leopards, Buffaloes, and now Rhinos. It is said that Black Rhinos used to roam the plains of Akagera national park in the 1970s but due to increased poaching, they were all killed. The last Rhino was sighted in 2007 before they officially became extinct.
Akagera national park has been managed by African Parks since 2010 that has done a tremendous job transforming the park and helping in growing the tourism numbers. African Parks has been working continuously in preparing a well-trained rhino tracking team together with an anti-poaching canine team. They have also secured a helicopter to do aerial surveillance at different times.
Some good news – Two male and three female Eastern Black Rhinoceroses were released into bomas in Akagera National Park on Monday 24th June 2019, with the aim of increasing the genetic diversity of the park’s rhino population and aiding efforts to restore the critically endangered subspecies in Rwanda and the region.
Tourism in Akagera National Park is a major contributor to sustaining the success of the park conservation and the efforts required in protecting rhino in Rwanda and many other threatened species. For this reason, we encourage you to visit Rwanda not only to spot the Rhino but also track the most desired primates including the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes and the most iconic Chimpanzees in Nyungwe forests.