The Ministry of Tourism,Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA) in collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), has called for an additional of $11 million to safeguard Uganda's endangered rhino population.
During the world Rhino Day at Ziwa Rhino and wildlife conservation Sanctuary in Nyakitoma sub-county, Nakasongola district, MWTA also launched a rhino- naming campaign for rhino conservation efforts and habitat management from which most money for conservation will be generated.
"We are going to drum up this campaign for six months after which, all individuals, companies, organisations and other willing entities that shall have shown interest, will meet at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and tag their names to the identified rhinos in March 2025," Col (Rtd) Tom Butime, Minister of Tourism said.
Butime emphasized the urgency of translocating white rhinos to Ajai wildlife and other national parks to enhance protection efforts.
Butime said the campaign aims at attracting individuals with financial muscle, companies and organisations, among other entities, to christen their preferred names to rhinos at Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Conservation Sanctuary.
According to Butime, 11 young and juvenile rhinos have been identified for naming.
He lauded UWA and sanctuary proprietor Capt. Charles Roy for the conservation efforts that have seen the number of rhinos increase from six to 43.
"Uganda has the most successful rhino breeding programme in Africa because we have seen the number of rhinos increase tremendously without a single individual succumbing to poaching save for a few that died of natural causes," Butime added.
Ziwa covers 27 square kilometers with 43 white rhinos and other wildlife including over 300 bird species. The sanctuary has seen an introduction of other wildlife to attract tourists.
Butime urged UWA to expedite the process of translocating the rhinos to other national parks with Ajai wildlife reserve seen as a potential habitat for the first translocation phase.
Stephen Masaba, the director for tourism and business development under UWA, revealed that by the end of October this year, 10 rhinos should have been translocated from Ziwa Sanctuary to Ajai Wildlife Reserve in the West Nile region.
Sharif Nsubuga, the head guide at Ziwa Sanctuary, said the gestation period of rhinos is 14-16 months and there have not been any scenarios where a mother gives birth to twin calves.
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"A baby rhino usually weighs 50kgs at birth and keeps multiplying by half a kilogramme of its body weight daily.
Therefore, a fully grown rhino can weigh up to three tonnes," Nsubuga revealed, adding that a mature rhino eats up to 70kg of grass and 60 litres of water every day.
FEEDING CHAIN
At Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, grazing cattle play a vital role in conservation by naturally trimming the grass, creating the perfect environment for rhinos that thrive on shorter vegetation. This harmonious interaction not only supports the food chain but also boosts biodiversity and the sanctuary's ecological balance.
We allow the community to graze cows in here because as they eat the grass, rhinos get what to eat too because they feed on short grass, so they help us to keep them (rhinos) around, so communities help us to conserve," Nsubuga noted.
There are said to be a total of 27,000 rhinos left in the world, 45 of which are in Uganda.
Rhino poaching in Africa increased by 4% from 2022 to 2023.
