Baby Obama heralds rhino revival in Uganda

In June 2009, Uganda conservationists had reason to smile: They witnessed the birth of the first ever baby rhino in Uganda, 27 years after the last rhino was seen.

The rhino was named Obama, a tribute to its shared birth heritage with the current leader of the Free World. Like US President Obama, the baby rhino has an American mother and a Kenyan father.

The rhino’s father was brought in from Solio Ranch in Kenya in 2005, while its mother was donated the Disney Animal Kingdom.

Four months later, another male rhino was born. It was named Augustus (“the respected one”).

Ansburg Zoo of Germany, the major sponsor of the rhinos in 2009 at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary was honoured to name the male rhino.

In January, another male rhino was born. It is yet to be named.

The Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary officials said individuals or entities able to support conservation and breeding efforts will have to bid for the rights to name and adopt it.

“Our project, now on phase two, is as successful as we would like it to be at this stage,” said Uganda Rhino Fund executive director Angie Genade.

Compared to other East African nations, Uganda holds a very tiny population of Rhinos.

However, this tale of intercontinent breeding illustrates the country’s growing need to diversify its offerings of game animals.

Uganda has 11 rhinos compared with 930 in Kenya, 120 in Tanzania.

While its two neighbours’ tourism is driven by big game comprising lions, cheetahs, leopards and elephants, Uganda’s tourism is driven mostly by gorillas.

Sanctuary inhabitants

The new births bring the number of rhinos at the sanctuary to 11.

Taleo is the dominant male while Moja is second in command.

There is also a female and male rhino at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe still struggling to breed since 2002 when they were brought in from Kenya.

In 1978, the country had 200 rhinos but by 1982 poaching and insecurity clered them all. In Africa, there are only 15,000 of the animals left.

The rest of the world’s rhinos are found in tropical Asia.

Rhino populations are at risk from massive poaching for their horns, a kilo of which can fetch as much as $50,000 in the black market.

The horns are reputed to cure disease and cast out evil spirits in children besides being regarded as a powerful aphrodisiac.

The horns are also in demand for making handles for traditional Yemeni daggers.

Today, the 70-square-kilometre Ziwa Rhino sanctuary is the only home to the wild rhinos in Uganda.

The sanctuary’s long term goal is to build a sustainable rhino population and relocate them to their original habitat in Uganda’s protected areas.

However, this will take many years to happen given the slow rate of rhinos’ reproduction.

For instance, there is only one successful breeding in every four to five years yet it takes between seven to nine years before young ones begin to breed.

The hope is that the six rhinos expected from South Africa in April or May, will be female to offset the gender imbalance currently at the sanctuary and enhance breeding.