Black Rhino Reintroduced to Matusadona National Park

Black Rhino capture in Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservancy, Zimbabwe | Image credit: Marcus Westberg

On 3 June 2026, black rhinos returned to Matusadona National Park for the first time in more than 30 years, in an operation led by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority alongside African Parks and the national park itself. Black rhinos returned to Matusadona National Park for the first time in more than 30 years, marking a major milestone in Zimbabwe's wildlife conservation efforts Matusadona was once one of the country's great rhino strongholds, and its loss to poaching in the late 1980s and early 90s was one of the harder chapters in Zimbabwe's conservation history.

Before organised poaching took hold, the Sebungwe region, with Matusadona at its centre, supported Zimbabwe's largest contiguous population of black rhino.Before the onset of organised poaching in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Sebungwe region, with Matusadona at its centre, supported Zimbabwe's largest contiguous population of black rhino. As the crisis deepened, ZimParks made the call to pull the surviving animals out of the area and relocate them to safer ground elsewhere in the country. That decision is what makes this reintroduction so poignant: the rhinos arriving now aren't a fresh population brought in to fill a gap, they're direct descendants of the animals evacuated from this same landscape a generation ago.

Seventeen rhinos, sourced from Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservancy, Matobo National Park, and one undisclosed location, were airlifted in and are being held in purpose built bomas for a period of close monitoring before a phased release into a secure, roughly 175 square kilometre Intensive Protection Zone.The animals, sourced from Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservancy, Matobo National Park and another undisclosed location, were airlifted to the Lake Kariba park in a complex operation Each animal has been fitted with a tracking device for real time monitoring. Another twenty rhinos are expected to join them next year, building toward a genuine founder population under Zimbabwe's National Rhino Strategy.

It's worth noting the years of groundwork behind this moment. The ranger team protecting Matusadona and its surrounding community wildlife areas has grown from 27 in 2020 to a well equipped, well trained unit of 85 by 2025, with plans to expand further to 103 rangers. That's the unglamorous, essential work that makes a reintroduction like this possible rather than just hopeful.

Professor Edison Gandiwa, Director General of ZimParks, called the return a historic event and a proud moment for Zimbabwe's conservation efforts, and a testament to what's possible when government, conservation organisations and local partners work together with shared purpose. He added that Matusadona has always had the habitat and now, through this partnership, has the security and management capacity to support a viable population.

Why it matters for a visit

Matusadona sits on the shores of Lake Kariba, and lodges like Bumi Hills, perched on the private concession bordering the park, put you within easy reach of the action, with wildlife moving freely between the reserve and the national park itself. Rhino won't be an easy tick on a game drive for a while yet, given the careful, phased nature of the release, but the return of a species this significant changes the story of every safari through the region.

References

1. African Parks. 'Black Rhino Return to Zimbabwe's Matusadona National Park.' 3 June 2026. https://www.africanparks.org/black-rhino-return-zimbabwes-matusadona-national-park

2. African Parks. 'Matusadona.' https://www.africanparks.org/the-parks/matusadona

3. NewsDay. 'After three decades, black rhino return to Zimbabwe's Matusadona.' 3 June 2026. https://www.newsday.co.zw/amp/local-news/article/200056407/after-three-decades-black-rhino-return-to-zimbabwes-matusadona

4. Pindula News. 'Endangered Black Rhinos Reintroduced To Matusadona After 30 Years.' 5 June 2026. https://news.pindula.co.zw/2026/06/04/endangered-black-rhinos-reintroduced-to-matusadona-after-30-years/

5. Tourism Update. 'Black rhino reintroduced into Matusadona.' 8 June 2026. https://www.tourismupdate.com/article/black-rhino-reintroduced-into-matusadona

6. Global Wildlife Fund. 'Project: Translocating black rhino.' https://globalwildlifefund.org/project/black-rhino/

7. African Bush Camps. 'Black Rhino Return to Matusadona National Park After Three Decades.' https://africanbushcamps.com/black-rhino-return-to-matusadona-national-park/