Safari Overview
Akagera is practically unrecognisable today compared to just 20 years ago. It was on the verge of being lost for eternity. While peace was finally restored in the 1990s after the 1994 Genocide, Akagera’s end was just beginning. Refugees returning home to Rwanda after the genocide were still battling for their own survival and turned to the forests for timber, wildlife for game meat, and the wild savannas for grazing their livestock.
However, lions were hunted to nearby annihilation, and rhinos vanished.The park’s wildlife was displaced by tens of thousands of long-horned cattle. Biodiversity was practically lost, and with it came employment and tourism. The park’s value was virtually diminished, which makes its story of revival even more remarkable.
In 2010, African Parks assumed management of Akagera in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB). They shifted the park’s trajectory from one of blankness to prosperity and hope. After quite a while of planning, through viable law enforcement and management, 2017 saw the historic return of 18 Eastern black rhinoceros.
This was after a 10-year absence, thanks to support from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. An additional five captive-bred black rhinos were translocated from Europe in June 2019. Through the support of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), to augment the genetic diversity. Afterwards, two new male lions were also translocated to Akagera in 2017. The reason was to enhance the genetic diversity of the growing pride. They have now tripled since their initial reintroduction in 2015.
With poaching essentially over, the park’s key wildlife populations have continued to rise. The park is generating revenue, making it self-financing, driven by the tens of thousands of people, half of whom are nationals, coming to see its resurrection
