Rhino Fund Uganda was formed as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in 1997. It was set up to repopulate Uganda with wild rhinos in the future. Both rhinoceros breeds, black and white, are globally endangered. In 1983, both black rhinos and northern white rhinos declared extinct throughout Uganda. Therefore, their purpose is to return rhinos, a vital aspect of both environmental and cultural heritage, back into Uganda, through their breeding and release program.
Located in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the 7 000 hectares of savannah and woodlands has provided them with land for the rhinos. Owned by Captain Joe Roy, a Ugandan citizen, a land usage license has been agreed to give them sole usage rights for thirty (renewable) years.
From this, the first six southern white rhinos were translocated in 2005/6, with four from Kenya, and two from Disney Animal Kingdom (USA). As it was northern white rhinos that once populated Uganda’s national parks, their rhinos are technically considered an exotic breed!
