Love is in the Air

Black rhino mating in Zakouma National Park! This marks the first rhino mating witnessed in central Africa since the 1980s, highlighting how these animals have adapted to their new environment after their translocation by African Parks in 2018 and 2023.

Chad has a historical connection to at least two rhinoceros species: the northern white rhinoceros (Ceretotherium simum cottoni) and the western black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes). The extinction of the western black rhinoceros in Zakouma is estimated to have occurred in 1972, primarily due to illegal poaching, leading to the last Chadian black rhinoceros disappearing in the 1980s. This was not unique to Chad; similar declines were observed across the savannah zones of Central and West Africa, including Cameroon, where the subspecies was last documented. Thanks to targeted conservation efforts and community awareness campaigns, we are making significant strides toward rehabilitating this magnificent species.