Uganda will host its first Rhino Naming Ceremony next month, in a landmark event aimed at boosting conservation efforts and drawing international attention to the country’s growing rhino population.
The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, together with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), announced the ceremony will take place on 22 September at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola District. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is expected to preside over the event.
The initiative forms part of the five-year, $11 million (£8.7 million) “Name A Rhino” campaign, launched in 2024 to fund habitat expansion, veterinary care, anti-poaching operations and community conservation programmes.
Attendees – from philanthropists to corporate sponsors – will have the opportunity to symbolically “adopt” and name one of 17 calves and juveniles at Ziwa, with all proceeds supporting the species’ survival.
“This will be a celebration of how far we have come – from extinction in the wild in the 1980s to now having 48 rhinos in Uganda,” said UWA executive director Dr James Musinguzi.
Rhinos were once widespread across Uganda before poaching and habitat loss wiped them out in the wild. The breeding programme at Ziwa, launched in 2006 with just six Southern White Rhinos, has since produced 40 calves.
The government plans to reintroduce rhinos into Ajai Wildlife Reserve later this year, expanding their range and linking the West Nile region to the national tourism circuit.
“This is more than a naming ceremony – it’s a legacy,” said state minister Martin Mugarra Bahenduka. “When you name a rhino, you’re securing its future.”
Uganda’s National Rhino Conservation Strategy aims for a 5% annual population growth rate by 2028, underpinned by stronger protection, habitat management and public engagement.
