Ambitious Rewilding Project to Help Revive White Rhinos

A conservation group bought the world’s largest private captive rhino breeding farm located in South Africa and intends to rewild the near-threatened imposing animal by releasing 2,000 southern white rhinos over the next decade.

Conservation group African Parks “fully recognises the moral imperative of finding a solution for these animals, so that they can once again play their integral role in fully functioning ecosystems,” explains CEO Peter Fearnhead.

The second-largest land mammal is under extreme pressure due to poaching. Consequently, there are roughly 18,000 southern white rhinos left in the world. African Parks managed to secure emergency funding to purchase Platinum Rhino, a 7,800-hectare financially struggling rhino farm located in the Northwest province of South Africa. The plan is to release rhinos in secure, well-managed areas to protect them from poaching with financial help from partners, governments, and conservation groups. It would be one of the largest continent-wide rewilding programs undertaken for any species. Southern white rhinos are mainly found in Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.