Twenty critically endangered black rhinos were translocated from KwaZulu-Natal to a secure site in Botswana in early September. The cross-border operation, led by the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project, effectively doubles Botswana’s existing population and establishes a new genetically diverse breeding group to safeguard the species.
Doubling a Nation’s Population in a Single Move
A major cross-border conservation initiative has effectively doubled Botswana’s black rhino population by safely relocating 20 animals from South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. The translocation, completed in early September by WWF South Africa’s Black Rhino Range Expansion Project, brought the animals to a remote and secure location where they have ample space to establish a new breeding population. Before this latest arrival, Botswana’s black rhino population hovered at an estimated 25 animals, having suffered severe losses from poaching, particularly around the Okavango Delta, according to the International Rhino Foundation. With the addition of these 20 rhinos, the country’s estimated total reaches approximately 45.
The animals did not arrive by chance. They represent a carefully curated founder group drawn from seven different game reserves managed directly by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife alongside existing project sites. By combining progeny from diverse locations, conservationists aimed to build a genetically robust population capable of sustaining itself over the long term.
Logistics and Quarantine: Inside the 36-Hour Journey
Moving 20 heavy, critically endangered wild animals across international borders required months of preparation. The rhinos were initially captured in KwaZulu-Natal in June and spent a mandatory quarantine period settling into bomas. From there, the operation involved two separate 36-hour road trips winding north into Botswana. To protect the animals from ongoing poaching threats, authorities have kept the precise destination unpublicized.
This effort marks only the second time the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project has executed a cross-border translocation. The project previously moved rhinos to Liwonde National Park in Malawi back in 2019. Project leaders noted that securing sufficiently large plots of land with suitable habitat—such as the Botswana site, which project lead Jeff Cooke noted covers more than 40 000 hectares, compared to the project’s baseline standard of about 20,000 hectares or more—has become increasingly difficult within South Africa, making regional partnerships across neighbouring countries vital for the species’ survival.
A Proven Model Backed by Regional Partnerships
The recent relocation operates under the umbrella of the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project, a long-standing partnership between Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the World Wide Fund for Nature. Since its inception in 2003, the programme has established 18 new black rhino populations and translocated a total of 310 animals. The initiative specifically targets areas of roughly 20,000 hectares or more that offer appropriate habitat, security, and room for expansion.
We’re proud to be driving this milestone project, which helps ensure the survival of the critically endangered black rhino, working with partners such as WWF.
Sihle Mkhize, Ezemvelo CEO
Dr. Morné du Plessis, CEO of WWF South Africa, echoed that sentiment while emphasizing the sheer complexity of the undertaking. He extended gratitude to the South African and Botswanan governments, Ezemvelo, funding partners, and the recipient site owners who coordinated the multi-agency effort.
Weighing Surveillance, Dehorning, and Long-Term Survival
While targeted measures like dehorning, improved surveillance technology, and closer cooperation with police have helped curb poaching incursions in certain areas, conservationists stress that these tactics alone are not enough. Project lead Jeff Cooke warned on World Rhino Day that dehorning is not a sustainable long-term solution, emphasizing that rhinos ultimately need room to roam and breed naturally out of the shadow of extinction.
“Got to allow these rhinos to keep breeding them from extinction, and the only way to do that is to give them the space and the resources that they need to breed. And so our project looks for sites that are clear enough, have the right management capacities in place to allow us to reintroduce a population, and hopefully over time that population breeds.”
Jeff Cooke, Project Leader
South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment reported a national black rhino population of at least 2,565 at the end of 2025, alongside 230 rhinos poached nationwide between January and August 2026. Against that backdrop, distributing new populations across secure regional habitats serves as an essential safeguard against localized losses.
Custodianship Agreements and What Comes Next
With the 20 rhinos now settled into their remote Botswana habitat, monitoring efforts will dictate the next phase of the project. Under standard custodianship agreements tied to these translocations, every calf born on the new reserve over the coming years is either allocated back to Ezemvelo or officially donated to the host reserve. Conservationists estimate that it typically takes five to six years for a newly established rhino population to stabilize before any future animal allocations or regional range expansions can take place.
