Ten black rhinos have been successfully relocated from South Africa to Mozambique as part of a major conservation effort to rebuild the population of the critically endangered species, which vanished from the country half a century ago.

The group—comprising five males and five females—was transported overland in a 48-hour journey to Zinave National Park last week, according to the Peace Parks Foundation, one of the organisations behind the relocation.

“It was essential to bring in these 10 rhinos to establish a population that can sustain itself,” Lesa van Rooyen, the foundation’s communication coordinator, told AFP.

The arrival of the new animals secures the first foundational group of black rhinos in Mozambique since their local extinction around 50 years ago, South Africa’s environment ministry confirmed in a statement.

Although 12 black rhinos had previously been moved from South Africa to Zinave, experts determined the population was still too small to ensure successful breeding. This latest transfer aims to boost those numbers to create a viable population.

In addition to the black rhinos, 25 white rhinos—a species considered less endangered—have also been translocated to the park through various operations.

The global population of black rhinos experienced a devastating decline of 96 per cent between 1970 and 1993, dwindling to just 2,300 individuals, according to data from the International Rhino Foundation. Decades of dedicated conservation work have slowly increased their numbers, with current estimates placing the wild population at around 6,421.

Black rhinos were once widespread across sub-Saharan Africa, but their numbers plummeted due to extensive hunting by European colonists and ongoing poaching, driven largely by demand for their horns on black markets, particularly in Asia.

Mozambique’s rhino population was wiped out during the country’s 15-year civil war, which ended in 1992. The conflict drove many to desperate measures to survive, including hunting the dwindling wildlife, van Rooyen explained.

Thanks to years of conservation and rewilding initiatives, Zinave National Park has now become Mozambique’s only national park to boast the full “Big Five”—elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, and buffalo.