Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Wildlife, Location, Biodiversity, Travel

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is a personal, non-profit, animal sanctuary in Uganda. Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch situated in the Nakasongola district is the proud home of the one wild rhinos in Uganda. The Rhino re-introduction venture is a venture of Rhino Fund Uganda and Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

We have conveniently situated 176km (100 miles) north of Kampala on the Gulu freeway in the direction of Murchison Falls (branch off at Nakitoma Trading Centre). Ziwa is the one place the place it is possible for you to see rhinos in the wild.

Presently the sanctuary is home to twenty-two (22) southern white rhinos. The sanctuary has to turn out to be more and more popular with vacationers; Rhino Trekking, Shoebill Trek and Canoe Ride, Bird Watching, Night Walk, Nature walking and Relaxation.

Location

The sanctuary is situated roughly 180 kilometres (110 mi), by highway, north of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city. This location is close to Nakitoma Village, Nakasongola District, within the Kafu River Basin, off the Kampala–Gulu Highway.

Overview

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is a collaborative effort between the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Rhino Fund Uganda, a Ugandan NGO dedicated to the restoration of Uganda’s rhinoceros population and Ziwa Ranchers Limited, a personal land management company.

The sanctuary provides a safe place with the place rhino populations will be expanded by breeding, protected against human and non-human predators and regularly re-introduced into Uganda’s national parks, while at the same time, permitting the general public to get pleasure from these majestic animals because the venture strikes ahead.

A team of roughly 78 park rangers and safety guards maintain a 24-hour watch on the rhinos to make sure their security. The 70 sq. kilometres (7,000 ha) sanctuary is surrounded by 2 metres (6.6 ft) electrical fence to maintain the rhinos in and the intruders out.

The sanctuary is home to at least 40 mammal and reptilian species together with monkeys, antelopes, hippopotamuses, crocodiles and quite a few bird species Tourist amenities on the sanctuary embody a safari lodge, visitor home, budget lodging, and campgrounds.

The lodging is two separate companies and each has eating places that supply meals to vacationers. In addition to on-foot rhino trekking, vacationer activities embody birding, canoe rides and nature walks.

History

Both the Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli) and the Northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) are indigenous to Uganda.

However, resulting from numerous components, together with extended armed human battle, poaching and the mismanagement of their natural habitat, by 1982, each species had been worn out within the nation.

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary was established in 2005 to reintroduce the southern white rhinoceros to Uganda. The long-term goal of the sanctuary is to “build a sustainable rhinoceros population and relocate rhinos back to their original habitat in Uganda’s protected areas”.

As of January 2010, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the one location in Uganda, the place rhinos will be noticed in their natural habitat.

Starting with a total of six animals, 4 that have been purchased from Solio Ranch in Kenya and two donated from Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, within the United States, the rhino population had grown to 13 as of June 2013.

Following the birth of one other calf in April 2014, the total rhino population at Ziwa Ranch rose to fifteen. As of March 2018, the rhino numbers in the sanctuary had elevated to twenty-two animals.

Rhinos have been declared extinct in Uganda resulting from poaching in 1983. In 1997 Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary was established to reintroduce them. A big cattle farm within the centre of the nation was recognized and funds have been raised to purchase the land and resettle the people who lived there. The venture was accomplished in 2004 and it’s now a park measuring 70 km sq., surrounded by electrical fences to maintain the poachers out.

They began with simply six animals: 4 introduced from Kenya in 2005 (together with Bella), and two from the Disney Animal Kingdom within the USA in 2006.

The first child was born in 2009 – a male named Obama in honour of the then US president resulting from the truth that his mom was from the USA and his father was from Kenya. Today, due to a profitable breeding programme they now have 22 rhinos, and numbers are growing.

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – Facts and Tips

The park is run by Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rhino Fund Uganda.

It prices $45 for a guided rhino stroll in case you are an overseas non-resident. It’s $35 for foreigners who live in Uganda, and 30,000 Ugandan shillings for locals. You may also keep in a single day within the park – both tenting or within the Ziwa Rhino Lodge – should you do that however don’t do a rhino stroll (however why you’ll do this I’ve no idea) the entry price is $20.

The finest time to see rhinos is between 8-10 am and 4-6 pm however walks can be found all day. We began at around 11 am and noticed loads! The park closes at 6 pm although in case you are arriving after 6 pm and staying in a single day they’ll allow you to be in till 9 pm as long as you allow them to know upfront – and there’s a $20 surcharge for this. If you arrive after 9 pm they won’t allow you to in any respect.

For your stroll, it’s finest to put on long trousers and durable footwear – and convey socks should you may wish to borrow wellies. Insect repellant and sun cream are beneficial. And if in case you have a digital camera with a zoom lens, convey it!

You do get fairly near the rhinos, however, you’ll nonetheless need your zoom. For the technically minded, most of my pictures have been taken with a Canon 5D IV, a 70-200 f2.8 L II lens, and a 2x extender.

As effectively as seeing the rhinos, there are different activities you are able to do within the park, together with a canoe trip to see the endangered shoebill storks, a night stroll, or a birding/nature stroll. For a full listing of activities and costs, click on right here.

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Wildlife, Location, Biodiversity, Travel