The reserve, covering 24,000ha of savannah, is made up of more than 20 neighbouring properties whose owners have recently removed their internal fences in order to create a significant, barrier-free haven for endangered species, including black rhinos.

The recent black rhino release form the second founder population of the WWF/Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife project, which aims to boost numbers of the critically endangered species by increasing the land available for their conservation, thus reducing pressure on existing reserves and providing new territory in which they can breed quickly.

“In just two years of this project, the black rhino has acted as a catalyst in creating about 40,000ha of barrier-free land for conservation,” said WWF project leader Dr Jacques Flamand.

“Much of the land was already under conservation but in relatively small pieces divided by internal fences which is not ecologically optimal. The courageous decisions of landowners who have committed themselves to creating these large areas have enormously benefited black rhino and many other species that live alongside them.”

Black rhino, which used to be the most numerous rhino species in the world, became critically endangered following a catastrophic poaching wave in the 1970s and 1980s that wiped out 96 per cent of Africa’s wild black rhino population in only 20 years. At the lowest point, there were just 2,500 black rhinos left.

Intensive protection efforts by organizations like WWF and the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife have helped stabilize the situation and the number of black rhinos has gradually increased to around 3,600.

“Tight security for black rhino is essential but it’s only one part of the solution,” explained Dr Flamand.

“The other part is ensuring that black rhino numbers increase as fast as possible in order to reduce the threat of extinction from possibilities such as increased poaching, drought, flood and disease. The highest breeding rates are achieved by establishing relatively large populations, such as these, on areas of land with a high carrying capacity for black rhino. This also stimulates breeding on existing reserves from where the black rhino are removed by reducing population pressure there.”

The first founder population, released last year on to Munyawana Game Reserve also in northern KwaZulu-Natal, has settled extremely well.

“There have been no losses through fights or accidents," said Dr Flamand. "Matings have been observed so we’re looking forward to the prospect of lots of calves. As the idea of the project is to increase the growth rate of the overall black rhino population in KwaZulu-Natal, we’re well on the way."

The first black rhino calf, from a rhino that was already pregnant when released, was born at Phinda Private Game Reserve, part of Munyawana, earlier this year.

Initially, the focus of the rhino project is on finding suitable sites within KwaZulu-Natal, but once these have been saturated, the Project will look further afield.

“We’re looking for strategic partnerships with landholders within the species’ historic range," added Dr Flamand.

"They need not have been traditionally involved in conservation and we are currently in negotiations with community landholders whose land could become future project sites.”

END NOTES:

• There are four black rhino subspecies: the southern-central black rhino (Diceros bicornis minor), the south-western black rhino (D.b. bicornis), adapted to the arid and semi-arid savannas of Namibia, southern Angola, western Botswana and western South Africa, the East African black rhino (D.b. michaeli), now found mostly in Kenya, and the west African black rhino (D.b. longipes), the rarest and most endangered subspecies, now found in northern Cameroon.

• Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is KwaZulu-Natal's conservation management agency, mandated with ensuring that the province's natural heritage is preserved.

• The WWF/ Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Black Rhino Range Expansion Project is made possible through funding from WWF-Netherlands, through WWF-South Africa, and is supported by the Mazda Wildlife Fund.