The rhinos came from the Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa and are now settling into their new home at the Garamba National Park.
The last northern white rhino was poached in the DRC in 2006 and the project aims to restore the ecological balance at one of Africa’s oldest national parks.
Lyndee du Toit, CEO of ACS South Africa says a Hercules L-100 was used because it can land on short, dirt runways and is easy to load and unload.
He says, “The rear-loading capability of the Herc was also utilised as Barrick’s Kibali Mine airstrip in north eastern DRC didn’t have sufficient equipment to assist in offloading the rhinos. Using this aircraft meant that two flights were needed, as each rhino weighing around 2 tons or more. Through careful planning, we were able to perform both flights in the same week, with both being loaded at night and both arriving at first light in Kibali.”
Peter Fearnhead, CEO of African Parks, adds, “Now that Garamba is a safe location and has proper protection in place, this reintroduction is the start of a process whereby southern white rhino as the closest genetic alternative can fulfil the role of the northern white rhino in the landscape.”
The moved was achieved through a collaboration with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, African Parks and &Beyond and was sponsored by the Barrick Gold Corporation, which is supporting the project.