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| | | "Rhino SIghting In North Luangwa by John Coppinger"
29 August 2010 00:00 | | | read more... |
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 | Remote Africa Safaris Newsletters | |
"FIVE NEW RHINO FOR NORTH LUANGWA – 26th MAY 2010"
- 04 June 2010 00:00
On Wednesday 26th May, five rhino left South Africa in an enormous Hercules aircraft accompanied by their own vet, Pete Morkel, and rhino “nanny”, Alison! Their destination….their new home in the North Luangwa National Park.
The four females and lone male are the final group of rhinos to be trans located to Zambia, establishing a viable gene pool for future generations.
Around midday, the enormous Hercules thundered down Lubongo’s dirt strip, dust clouds rolling past the excited spectators, until the plane ground to a grand stop. Large cranes efficiently loaded the rhino crates onto trucks, carrying the rhino to bomas. Here they will be held for about two weeks, adjusting to their new diet of sausage tree fruit and other tropical delicacies, before being released into the rhino sanctuary under the protection of specially highly trained scouts.
Zambia, once home to the one of the largest black rhino populations in Africa, sadly declared rhino nationally extinct in 1998. To date, a total of 25 black rhino have been relocated to North Luangwa National park; three translocations took place in 2003, one in 2008 and the final one in 2010. There have been 3 births and two deaths over the years. Two of the newly arrived females are suspected of being pregnant so with luck the birth rate might almost double before the end of the year!
We wish NLCP all the best with their new charges. May their project go from strength to strength. Visitors to Mwaleshi Camp keep your eyes open – those rhino are only just around the next bend!
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