Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary: The future of the white rhinos in Uganda looked very bleak a few years ago, but today our children and grandkids may see them too because of the Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary. We choose to stop at this sanctuary, the only location in Uganda where you can see white rhinos, in route to the stunning Murchison Falls National Park. The sanctuary, which lies 180 kilometers north of Kampala, is devoted to reintroducing Uganda’s once-extinct white rhinos.
Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary
As you quickly reach the sanctuary, statues of rhinos welcome you along the well-marked trail. The gates were unlocked for us to proceed to the main offices following a brief registration and security check. We had a briefing on safety procedures, dos and don’ts, and what to anticipate.
Soon after, we were escorted on our fascinating journey around the sanctuary by an intelligent man wearing gumboots and a nature-blend outfit, with a walkie-talkie securely fastened. With a guide, trekking is done on foot. A little while into the savannah walk, we heard a few fascinating tales from the guide about the first rhino grazing with a baby.
In the past, the black and white rhinos coexisted with the other five members of the Big Five in Uganda’s lush parks. Unfortunately, widespread poaching during the political uprising in the 1970s and 1980s caused their numbers to decline, almost driving them out of the nation’s parks.
After the last rhino sighting in 1983, a non-governmental group called Rhino Uganda was established in 1997 with the goal of giving the animals a fresh lease on life in Uganda.
Two rhinoceros, Kibira and Sherino, were transported from Kenya’s Solio Ranch to the Uganda Wildlife Education Center, which was formerly the zoo, in 2000.
After the group purchased land in Zziwa in 2004, they were subsequently moved there. In 2005, the sanctuary welcomed its first rhinos, two males and two females from nearby Kenya. Two rhinos from the Orlando Zoo in Florida were donated to the sanctuary later in 2006. These rhinos, along with Kenyan locals, gave birth to the first calf in June 2009, called Obama in honor of the US president. The infant was born to a Kenyan father and an American mother.
When our guide told us about an adult male rhino that murdered a four-year-old due to a territorial dispute, lowering the number to 19, it was evident that rhinos are fiercely protective of their territory. These creatures feed all day and all night. The temperatures are very hot right now, so you’re lucky to find them grazing,” he explains.
Our ranger finds the 17-year-old Nandi and her 1.5-year-old rhino Sonic in 20 minutes. The rhino trekking experience at the wildlife sanctuary allows guests to observe the rhinos up close and safely. Non-residents pay $30 per person, while Ugandans pay Shs20,000. Activities on Safari to Uganda like nature hikes, fishing, night walks, volunteer programs, bird viewing, and shoebill canoe rides are among the many things to enjoy.
Wildlife on the 70-acre Zziwa sanctuary is in danger due to hunting of animals for game meat. Mukasa notes, “We have people who kill waterbucks, bush babies, reedbucks, and Oribi,” adding that he is more worried about the dangers facing rhinos.
In Asia, rhinos are stolen for their horn, which is used as a display of masculine strength and as a cure for various illnesses. The US-based strategy and policy advice company Dahlberg said that the black market price of one kilogram of rhino horn is $60,000.
Because of this, keratin horns are more profitable than those made of gold or platinum. Unlike the notoriously violent black rhinos, the white rhinos in the sanctuary are more amiable. The ranger leader reassured us that black rhinos would be sent straight to the National Park when they were brought into the nation.
The Endangered Rhinos
A girl weighs 2.8 tons (2,800 kg), while an adult male weighs three tons (3000 kg). A rhino’s birth weight ranges from 45 to 50 kg. With a weight of around seven tons (7,000 kg), rhinos are the second biggest animal after elephants. It lasts for forty-five years. Female rhinos begin giving birth at age four and have between ten and twelve kids. Males, however, start having intercourse at the age of ten. They put things off because they need time to decide how best to manage their areas. One mother and one calf are the only two or three rhinos that travel in a group (crash). The old calf is supposed to depart after the mother gives birth.