Historic Moment Sees Breeding Population of Black Rhinos in Mozambique for the First Time in 50 Years
For the first time in over 50 years, black rhinos have been brought back to Mozambique, giving the country a chance to rebuild a healthy, protected rhino population.
The project to bring black rhinos back to Mozambique has been part of a much larger effort to restore Zinave National Park, which had lost most of its large wildlife due to decades of war, poaching, and habitat loss.
In 2015, the Mozambique government, through its conservation authority (ANAC), partnered with the Peace Parks Foundation to manage and rebuild the park over a 20-year period. Their goal was to bring back the animals that once lived there and make Zinave a healthy, protected home for wildlife again.
Zinave Map
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Over the years, they have slowly reintroduced thousands of animals, including elephants, buffalo, and many antelope species. In 2022, they made international headlines when they successfully moved 19 white rhinos from South Africa to Zinave, some travelling over 1,600 kilometres by road in one of the longest rhino translocations ever attempted.
This was significant because white rhinos had not been seen in that area for about 40 years. Remarkably, not long after their arrival, the white rhinos started breeding, with a calf born soon after.
Princess: the white rhino baby born as part of the conservation project.
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Around the same time in 2022, the first small group of seven black rhinos was also brought to the park, beginning the process of re-establishing the species in Mozambique. However, it wasn’t until June 2025 that the project took a major step forward when an additional ten black rhinos (five males and five females) were translocated from protected reserves in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to Zinave, in partnership with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.
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This created the first breeding population of black rhinos in Mozambique in more than 50 years. Moving these critically endangered animals was no simple task. The rhinos were carefully captured, kept in safe holding areas, fitted with microchips, and transported across the border following international wildlife regulations. They travelled in a secure, 48-hour road journey with armed escorts to protect them from any potential threats along the way.
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The long-term goal of this project is to fully restore Zinave National Park, turning it into Mozambique’s only "Big Five" park, and a place where lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and now both black and white rhinos can all thrive again. It is seen as a model of how countries can work together to restore wildlife across borders and bring species back from the edge of extinction. And so far, all of the parties involved are doing a fantastic job!
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If you would like to get involved and contribute towards future Peace Parks projects, click the link below to see all the ways in which you can help: