The Same Bloodline, Finally Home
For the first time in more than 30 years, black rhinos once again walk the hills of Matusadona National Park. They are not strangers to this land. They are its descendants.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, organized poaching devastated the Sebungwe landscape, once home to Zimbabwe’s largest contiguous population of black rhino. Facing the loss of nearly an entire population, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) made a difficult call: to relocate the survivors to secure areas across the country and wait until it was safe for them to return.
That decision conserved a bloodline. Now, more than three decades later, it has come full circle. The black rhinos returning to Matusadona National Park are not a new population introduced to fill a gap. They are the direct descendants of the animals evacuated from this exact landscape a generation ago, coming home to the hills their ancestors once roamed. That continuity is what makes this reintroduction both a milestone and a homecoming.
A Historic Return
The translocation brought black rhino from Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservancy, Matobo National Park, and another protected location back to Matusadona, each one carrying forward the genetic lineage ZimParks worked to protect 30 years ago. After a period of monitoring in specially designed bomas, the rhino will be released into a secure 175-square-kilometer Intensive Protection Zone, where they will be tracked using advanced monitoring technology.
This is a founder population in the truest sense: not random animals selected for the role, but the rightful lineage of Matusadona returning to re-establish itself, strengthening Zimbabwe’s National Rhino Strategy for the long term.
Built on Partnership and Patience
This return is the result of years of coordinated work between ZimParks, African Parks, neighboring communities, traditional leaders, and dedicated conservationists on the ground.
Since African Parks entered a 20-year management partnership with ZimParks in 2019, sustained investment in wildlife protection, habitat management, and community engagement has built the secure environment this reintroduction depended on. Traditional leaders, including Chiefs Mola, Masampakaruma, Nebiri, and Negande, have been strong advocates throughout the process, and their stewardship of this landscape has been essential to its success.
The return has been met with widespread support, from the communities who share the park’s borders to Zimbabweans across the country and partners globally. It is a clear demonstration of what becomes possible when vision, patience, and collaboration replace short-term thinking.
The operation was led by Matusadona National Park, ZimParks, and African Parks, with generous support from the European Union, Global Wildlife Fund, and Thomas and Sara de Swardt. Preliminary preparation was funded by the Rhino Recovery Fund.
We gratefully acknowledge the Wyss Foundation, Stichting Natura Africae, the European Union, Thomas and Sara de Swardt, Global Wildlife Fund, Pangolin Crisis Fund, and the Elephant Crisis Fund. Their ongoing support has been instrumental in making Matusadona National Park a place where rhino can roam once more.
What This Means
This is about more than reintroducing a single species. As one of Africa’s most critically endangered mammals, black rhino are essential to healthy ecosystems, and their return strengthens Matusadona’s standing as one of Zimbabwe’s most significant protected areas. It also reinforces what responsible safari tourism, built on authentic conservation rather than wildlife spectacle, can help achieve over time.
Every stay at Bumi Hills Safari Lodge contributes to this broader story. Not just through proximity to Matusadona, but through the direct link between tourism revenue and the long-term work of conserving wildlife, empowering communities, and sustaining wild spaces across Southern Africa.
Experience Lake Kariba and Bumi Hills Safari Lodge
Perched above the shimmering waters of Lake Kariba, Bumi Hills Safari Lodge offers one of Zimbabwe’s most distinctive safari experiences: game drives, guided walking safaris, water safaris, fishing, birdwatching, and sunset cruises across one of the world’s largest man-made reservoirs.
Located close to Matusadona National Park, the lodge offers access to elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, hippo, and abundant birdlife. The newly reintroduced black rhino remain within a protected zone and are unlikely to be encountered on safari, but knowing they once again roam these hills, carrying their ancestors’ lineage forward, makes every visit here that much more meaningful.
The return of black rhino to Matusadona is a symbol of resilience, and an invitation to experience one of Zimbabwe’s most remarkable regions at a moment when its future has never looked brighter. Through African Bush Camps Foundation, we remain committed to supporting the work that made this possible, and to ensuring it endures for the decades to come.
Photo credits: Hillary O’Leary, Marcus Westberg and Wiki West