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Uganda Moves Four Southern White Rhinos From Ziwa to Ajai in Its First Rhino Translocation Between Protected Areas

White rhinoceros walking through vegetation at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Uganda
Conservation · Reintroductions & translocations

Uganda Wildlife Authority moved four southern white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum simum) from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to Ajai Wildlife Reserve in January 2026, the first time rhinos have been translocated from one protected area to another within Uganda. The operation opened a national programme that is intended to establish 20 rhinos at Ajai.

The first four animals arrived as the initial phase of the programme. Uganda Wildlife Authority said they would be closely monitored while they adapted to the reserve, with the remaining 16 animals due to be moved only after the first group had stabilised successfully.

Ajai historically held northern white rhinos

Ajai has particular historical importance for rhino conservation in Uganda. The country’s native northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) formerly occurred west of the Albert Nile, with Ajai among its principal areas. Uganda’s rhinos were eventually lost during years of insecurity, poaching and habitat loss; the last rhino in the country was killed in Kidepo in 1983.

The animals moved to Ajai in 2026 belong to the southern rather than the northern white-rhino subspecies. Uganda Wildlife Authority explicitly notes that southern white rhinos are not indigenous to Uganda and describes the intervention through the principle of “conservation equivalence”. With the northern subspecies now functionally extinct, UWA presents the southern subspecies as an ecologically credible alternative for restoring white rhinos to Ugandan landscapes.

Ziwa became the source population for the new programme

The transfer was made possible by the breeding population at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Uganda’s systematic rhino recovery programme began with the establishment of Rhino Fund Uganda in 1997. Six southern white rhinos imported in 2005 and 2006 became the founder animals for the Ziwa breeding programme, which Uganda Wildlife Authority says had grown to 49 animals. A further eight southern white rhinos were imported from South Africa in December 2025 to support the national strategy.

The Ajai move is part of Uganda’s National Rhino Conservation Strategy, which aims to rebuild the country’s rhino population while returning animals to protected areas in northern Uganda. The January translocation is the first step in extending the recovery programme beyond Ziwa to additional protected areas.

Sources and image credit

  1. Kibuuka, D. (2026, January 8). Uganda takes back rhino to Ajai Wildlife Reserve. Uganda Wildlife Authority.Primary Uganda Wildlife Authority announcement reporting the completed move of four southern white rhinos from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to Ajai Wildlife Reserve and the planned establishment of 20 rhinos at Ajai.

Image: Bernard DUPONT — white rhinoceros at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Uganda; Ziwa is the source population for the Ajai translocation, but the photograph is not documented as showing one of the four translocated animals. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Representative image for this story; not presented as an animal or scene from the reported study or event. · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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