In a major step forward for wildlife conservation, Uganda has brought rhinos back to their natural habitat after they disappeared from the country decades ago.

On Wednesday, the Uganda Wildlife Authority – UWA announced that four southern white rhinos had been successfully released into Ajai Wildlife Reserve, located in Madi-Okollo District in the northwest of the country.

UWA reported that essential infrastructure has been put in place throughout the reserve to support the long-term success of the reintroduction effort.

This includes: A complete electric fencing system, strategic ranger outposts for improved monitoring and quick intervention and a reliable water distribution network benefiting both the rhino sanctuary area and the broader reserve.

The authority stated that the four newly released rhinos are currently being closely monitored as they settle into and adjust to their new surroundings.

UWA added that a second phase of the program — which will introduce an additional 16 rhinos — is planned once the initial group has been successfully observed, stabilized, and shown to be thriving.

James Musinguzi, Executive Director of UWA, called the return of rhinos to the wild “a historic milestone and the opening of a fresh chapter in Uganda’s conservation story.”

Historical records show that Ajai Wildlife Reserve once hosted around 60 of the roughly 80 rhinos remaining in Uganda as of 1965.

Tragically, poaching combined with years of civil unrest and instability led to the complete disappearance of rhinos from the reserve — and the country — by the early 1980s.

Uganda began efforts to rebuild its rhino population in 2005, when six southern white rhinos were first introduced to the purpose-built Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

Thanks to sustained protection and breeding success, the national population had increased to 59 southern white rhinos as of December 2025.