Decades ago, both black and northern white rhinos roamed Uganda. But by the early ’80s, trafficking, poaching, and political unrest had wiped out the country’s native populations.
More than ten years later, an effort began to bring rhinos back. Rhino Fund Uganda, a new charity, approached Joseph Charles Roy, owner of Ziwa Ranch, with a proposal – move out his cattle and make room for rhinos.
A long-time animal lover and aspiring conservationist, Roy quickly agreed. In the early 2000s, he oversaw the relocation of six white rhinos to his ranch.
At the time, no one knew what the future would bring. While the mix of woodland, savannah, and swamps on the ranch provided an ideal habitat, no one anticipated just how successful the project would become.
Today, Ziwa Cattle Ranch is home to 48 rhinos, including five calves born in recent months.
But the conservation team now faces a pressing question – if the population keeps growing, what will happen once the rhinos outgrow the ranch?
In recent years, Roy’s daughter Wendy has taken on part of Ziwa’s management in partnership with the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
The ranch now hosts lodges for visitors and offers guided walking safaris where guests can see rhinos along with other wildlife such as warthogs, antelopes, leopards, and shoebills. The funds are reinvested into rhino conservation.
Raised between Uganda and the UK, Wendy has admitted she was not initially drawn to conservation. But as she became more involved in the work, she began to appreciate its importance and appeal.
Roy attributes the project’s success to the ranch’s calm, natural setting, which he says provides a stress-free environment that supports breeding.
These efforts have helped deter poachers from targeting the rhinos for their horns in the illegal wildlife trade.
One of Ziwa’s longtime rangers, Sharif Nsubaga, has been on the job for more than a decade.
He explained that the team tracks the rhinos’ behavior every hour, documenting their feeding, resting, grazing, and even urination patterns.
He admitted that his favorite is Bella, one of the first rhinos brought over to the ranch, who has since gone on to deliver seven calves.
For years, Ziwa’s primary mission has been to breed enough rhinos to eventually release them into other parts of the country.
But creating the same safe, controlled environment outside the ranch has proven difficult, as many national parks remain unfenced and have high risks of poaching.
Since 2021, the UWA has been working to prepare the Ajai Wildlife Reserve, though progress was slowed by limited funding and a shortage of wardens.
Now, with those challenges addressed, the team is confident in moving forward and aims to relocate 20 rhinos from the ranch to Ajai by early 2026.
