Eastern Black Rhino Re-establishment Project
Creating a founding population to return the eastern black rhino to the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.
Since its inception in 2002, one of the Grumeti Fund’s main goals has been returning eastern black rhino to the western Serengeti; establishing a founding population contributing to the genetic pool and bolstering the greater Serengeti-Mara ecosystem’s rhino population.
Eight-year-old Eric was the first eastern black rhino to be brought home to the Serengeti by the Grumeti Fund. Donated by the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, he arrived on the 11th of September 2018, joining one female (known as Laikipia) already residing in the 276-hectare Black Rhino Intensive Protection Zone.
In 2019, the Grumeti Fund, in partnership with government stakeholders (primarily the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority), translocated a breeding nucleus of rhino from an out-of-range population in South Africa. Following an arduous journey in crates, trucks and airplanes, nine black rhino arrived safely in Tanzania in September. After a few months acclimatizing in custom-built rhino enclosures, they were successfully released into the reserve in November, with the birth of the first calf following seven months later. The pair are thriving under the watchful eye of the aerial and ground teams who monitor their movements 24/7.
In June 2020, this ambitious conservation project reached an important and exciting goal: the birth of the first rhino calf at Singita Grumeti in decades. Born to Lindiwe (which means “awaited”), one of the females translocated from South Africa, the new arrival gives fresh hope to a species that is considered critically endangered and, for many years, was locally extinct in this part of Tanzania.
Key Successes
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Eastern Black Rhino Re-establishment Project
BiodiversityShare:
Conservation Partner
Grumeti Fund
As the custodian of more than 350,000 acres of the world-renowned Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania, Singita’s partnership with Grumeti Fund has had a profound impact on the Serengeti ecosystem. The non-profit Grumeti Fund carries out wildlife conservation and community development programs in and around the Singita Grumeti Reserve.
Faced with challenges including uncontrolled illegal hunting, rampant wildfires and spreading strands of invasive alien vegetation when they took over the management of the area in 2003, the Fund dedicated itself to transform severely depleted wildlife numbers into thriving populations once more. Restoring this once barren and highly degraded region to a flourishing wilderness, their successes include the remarkable recovery of many species – including buffalo, wildebeest and elephant populations, and in 2019, the Fund carried out the largest single relocation and reintroduction of 9 critically endangered Eastern Black Rhino.
The non-profit Fund is fiscally independent in its conservation and community project operations. Funds are derived in the form of donations from Singita guests, NGOs and philanthropists seeking to make a lasting contribution to the sustainability of conservation work in Africa.
Other Biodiversity Projects
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AllTanzaniaSouth AfricaRwandaZimbabwe
7 Focus Areas of Conservation
The Heritage Series: Singita x Thebe Magugu
In 2023, we collaborated with acclaimed South African fashion designer [Thebe Magugu](https://www.thebemagugu.com/) on the Heritage Series – a collection of dresses that reflect the customs and maternal dynamics of nine prominent tribes across Southern Africa.
Each dress depicts a mother and child, celebrating the African women’s strength and the sense of kinship felt across the continent, as well as its diversity of cultures.
[Read more here >](https://singita.com/2023/08/thebe-magugu-and-singita-a-collaboration-of-high-design-and-heritage/)
Artist in Residence: Ardmore Ceramics
[Ardmore](https://www.ardmore-design.com) is a family-founded collective of artists and sculptors based in midlands of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. Known primarily for its intricate ceramic works, both inspired by and depicting elements of nature, Singita has collaborated with them twice.
First, in 2021, when two artists spent time at [Singita Sabi Sand](https://singita.com/region/sabi-sand/), crafting works whose proceeds were donated to the [Singita Lowveld Trust](https://www.singitalowveldtrust.org/), and again in 2022, when two different artists came back to do the same.
[Read more here >](https://singita.com/2022/06/resident-artists-from-ardmore-embody-the-spirit-of-ubuntu-at-singita/) or [Watch the video >](https://library.singita.com/download/public/assets/169477351387399.mp4)
The Art of Perspective: Singita x Bongeziwe Mabandla
[[Bongeziwe Mabandla]](https://www.instagram.com/bongeziwemabandla/?hl=en) is a South African musician whose soulful songs, sung in isiXhosa, blend observation and personal experiences, folk and electronica, into a uniquely mesmerising and distinctly African sound.
In May 2024, we invited him to spend time at [Boulders](https://singita.com/lodge/singita-boulders-lodge/) and [Ebony](https://singita.com/lodge/singita-ebony-lodge/), channelling inspiration from the Sabi Sand’s endless natural and human wonders into songs to be shared in the future.
[Read his account of the experience >](https://publications.singita.com/volume-2-perspective/8/)
A Meeting of Minds: Singita x Industrie Africa
Driven to redefine narratives around pan-African cultural and fashion landscapes, [Industrie Africa](https://industrieafrica.com/) is a portal for the discovery of exceptional designer talent from across the continent.
In November 2024, we invited their team to [Kilima](https://singita.com/lodge/singita-kilima/) and [Milele](https://singita.com/lodge/singita-milele/) to capture and convey the timeless tradition of storytelling through a curated selection of pieces by 30 pan-African fashion and jewellery designers.
[Dive deeper into the project >](https://publications.singita.com/view/17977800/8-9/)
