Return to Kidepo Valley: After 40 Years, Rhinos Are Coming Home
The rugged, sun-drenched plains of Kidepo Valley National Park are about to witness a historic homecoming.
A quiet but powerful moment unfolded in northern Uganda last week — one that has been decades in the making. The Rhino Sanctuary in Kidepo Valley National Park was officially handed over to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), marking a landmark milestone in Uganda’s long journey to restore one of its most iconic and endangered species to the wild.
A Sanctuary Built for the Future
Spanning 18.2 km², the newly completed fenced sanctuary is a critical piece of Uganda’s National Rhino Conservation and Management Strategy (2018–2028) — a bold national commitment to returning rhinos to protected landscapes where they once roamed freely. Northern Rangelands Trust CEO Vishal Shah formally handed over the completion report and sanctuary to Charles Tumwesigye, Commissioner of Field Operations at Uganda Wildlife Authority, signalling the beginning of a new chapter in Uganda’s rhino recovery story.
White Rhinos First, Black Rhinos to Follow
In the coming weeks, white rhinos from the well-established Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary will make the journey north to Kidepo. The decision to start with white rhinos is a deliberate and strategic one — their more placid temperament and relative ease of management will allow Uganda’s wildlife teams to build the expertise and capacity needed before black rhinos eventually follow. It will be the first time rhinos have roamed this landscape in more than 40 years.
The Power of Collaboration
This achievement is the result of extraordinary partnership. The sanctuary fence was funded by the Northern Rangelands Trust, with vital support from the Great Plains Foundation, Rhino Recovery Fund, Gatinais Foundation, Platcorp Foundation, WildLandscapes International, Uganda Conservation Foundation, and the European Union through the NaturAfrica programme — whose support has been instrumental in creating the enabling conditions for this reintroduction.
Communities at the Heart of Conservation
Perhaps most encouragingly, local communities are not bystanders in this effort — they are partners. Members of the Morungole Community Conservancy have been actively involved from the ground up, contributing to fence construction and supporting broader conservation initiatives across the landscape. Their participation is a reminder that lasting conservation is only possible when the people who share the land are genuinely part of the solution.
Kidepo Valley has long been celebrated as one of Africa’s most remote and breathtaking wilderness areas. Soon, it will also be home to rhinos once more. After an absence of more than 40 years, rhinoceroses are set to return to this iconic landscape, marking a monumental win for biodiversity and tourism in Uganda — and that is worth celebrating.
