Wilderness Safaris and our Botswana Project
In 1999 Wilderness Safaris was awarded the Mombo Concession, as part of the tender process they included a proposal to reintroduce both black and white rhino to Mombo and Chief’s Island. Wilderness Safaris have been working hard with many other parties including Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks and the Botswana Defence Forces.

In November 2001 the first 3 white rhinos from the Mokolodi Reserve and 1 from the Gaborone Game Reserve in Botswana arrived in Mombo. At the beginning of 2003, as a result of this project, there were 15 rhinos in Botswana, all white, the first white rhino calf was born in August 2004 - now there are 44, 17 being born in the Okavango, the first four black rhinos arrived in October 2003, The black rhino has been classified as "locally extinct" in Botswana for over a decade, a classification which has been made redundant with the arrival of the two males and two females at Mombo, and in March 2009 the first black rhino calf was born, named Boipuso – Setswana for Independence as he was located on Botswana’s day of independence.

As you can appreciate, the effort involved with this project is immense and very costly. Every rhino costs US 60,000 to tranquilise and transport and relocate to its new home. The project is run on a very tight budget with the protection of the animals the responsibility of the Botswana DWNP anti-poaching unit. To help offset some of these costs the BDWNP has entered into an agreement, swapping rhino for roan antelope with the South African National Parks Board using their C-130 (Hercules) for transport.

Over the last four years SAVE N.S.W. have donated $90,000 to this important project.
SAVE N.S.W. have lived through the ups and downs of this project over the years and have enjoyed and celebrated the successes. We are committed to ensuring this important project continues.

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