We are thrilled to announce the launch of an
exciting new activity - the Rhino Tracking Experience - for guests of
Mvuu Camp and Mvuu Lodge in Liwonde National Park. The Experience
comprises an introduction to the plight of the black rhino, a three-hour
guided walk into rhino territory, conducted by armed Rhino Protection
Team (RPT) scouts and Wilderness Safaris guides, and ends with a
delicious bush breakfast or dinner. In this way, guests have the unique
opportunity of tracking black rhino and seeing them on foot, whilst also
getting involved in the practicalities of monitoring - all the while
contributing to rhino conservation in Malawi.
In
the late 1980s, the last black rhinoceros disappeared from Mwabvi
Wildlife Reserve in the Lower Shire Valley of Malawi. In the early
1990s, Malawi's Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) and
South Africa National Parks (SANParks) joined forces to create the
Liwonde Wildlife Project, an initiative aimed at introducing six
endangered species, including the black rhino, into a breeding sanctuary
in Liwonde National Park. Young animals would then later be moved to
other protected areas in Malawi. In 1993, the first breeding pair of
black rhino was airlifted to Liwonde from South Africa; currently,
thanks to the success of the sanctuary and subsequent translocations,
both Liwonde and Majete Wildlife Reserve have the beginnings of stable
populations. It has been one of Africa's most successful breeding
programmes and has been achieved by the dedication and expertise of a
number of people and organisations, including the J&B Circle (now
Endangered Species of Malawi Circle), DNPW, SANParks, International Fund
for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Wilderness Safaris.
The
Rhino Tracking Experience is being run by Wilderness Safaris in a joint
venture with DNPW and the IFAW. The rhino conservation programme is run
and funded by both these parties who have assigned the Rhino Protection
Team (RPT) to monitor and protect the black rhino in Liwonde. The next
two years will see a crucial new course for the project where the
sanctuary fence is gradually dismantled and the park itself becomes the
"sanctuary." By participating in this activity, guests will be
contributing directly to the funding of the rhino conservation programme
as 90% of the activity fee will be allocated to it.
The
Experience is intended to be a rewarding, exciting and educational one
for our guests and therefore is limited to two guests of 18 years and
above.
Wilderness Safaris Malawi MD, Chris
Badger, stated, "Liwonde's black rhino breeding programme can lay claim
to being one of the most successful in Africa. However, the continued
threat of poaching remains very real and this new activity will raise
funds and awareness, which we hope will contribute to the long-term
survival and sustainability of Malawi's black rhino population."
