Rwanda: Akagera National Park welcomes 30 white rhinos in largest-ever single translocation!

In the largest single rhino translocation ever undertaken, 30 white rhinos have been introduced to Akagera National Park in Rwanda in November 2021. The rhinos were sourced from the andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The translocation was carried out through a collaboration between the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), African Parks and andBeyond, with funding provided by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. The rhinos will be monitored daily in Akagera National Park by a dedicated team and a specialist veterinarian who will be overseeing their acclimation. Each rhino has also been fitted with a transmitter to enable constant monitoring by dedicated tracking teams; a canine anti-poaching unit and helicopter surveillance are also in place to provide further support for their long-term protection.
The translocation of the 30 rhino to Akagera National Park aims to extend the white rhino range and create a secure new breeding stronghold in Rwanda, supporting population growth to ensure the long-term survival of the species in the wild as high-levels of poaching continue to exert unsustainable pressure on current populations. In the recent years, lions (2015) as well as black rhino (2017 and 2019) have already been successfully reintroduced to Akagera National Park.

White rhinos introduced to Akagera in Rwanda
© Gael Vande Weghe & African Parks

Akagera National Park is a protected area in eastern Rwanda covering 1,122 km² along the international border with Tanzania. The National Park is Central Africa’s largest protected wetland and the last remaining refuge for savannah-adapted species in Rwanda.

Rwanda: First lions to return to Akagera National Park!

update (28 July 2015): The seven lions have been released into Rwanda's Akagera National Park!



update (01 July 2015): The seven lions from South Africa have arrived in Rwanda's Akagera National Park!

Posted by The New Times Publications on Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Lions will return to Rwanda for the first time in 15 (20?) years, after the species was wiped out in the country following the 1994 genocide. The non-profit organisation African Parks is currently translocating seven lions from South Africa - two males and five females - into Akagera National Park, located in eastern Rwanda bodering Tanzania. The lions, which have been donated by &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu Natal and by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife from Tembe Elephant Park also in KZN, are today (29 June 2015) being transported from South Africa and will arrive in Akagera National Park on 30 June 2015 after an approximately 26 hour journey.

On arrival in Akagera National Park, the seven lions will be placed in a specially-erected 1,000m² boma. They will be quarantined for a minimum of 14 days, during which they will be continually monitored, before being released into the park.

Rwanda: Free access to Akagera National Park for Rwandans!

The Akagera National Park in Rwanda was established as a National Park in 1934. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the National Park, all Nationals of Rwanda have been granted free access to the park for the period of three days. Free access to Akagera National Park includes entry fees and vehicle entry fees only; it does not in include access to accommodation facilities, transport to, or within, the park and other tourist activities.



Akagera National Park is located in the north east of Rwanda along the border with Tanzania. It is named after the Akagera River that flows along its eastern boundary. The 1,200km² Park is managed by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in partnership with the African Parks Network. 

Rwanda to import lions & rhinos from South Africa

The East African country of Rwanda will reintroduce lions and rhinos into its Akagera National Park, a 1,200km² park in eastern Rwanda bordering Tanzania. The Rwanda Tourist Board started fencing the National Park, home of Rwanda's last rhino, earlier this year and is planning to finish the work by February 2012.


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Rwanda's tourism director Rica Rwigamba told news agency AFP that the animals will be imported from South Africa, but didn't mention how many of them will be imported, when the game will be reintroduced into the park and from where in South Africa the animals are going to come from.
Rwanda's main tourist attraction are the highly endangered mountain gorillas, which are concentrated in the Virunga massif in the country's north.