The Acting Executive Director of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Mr. Chemonges Sabilla, has officially opened a three-day preparatory meeting for the Rhino Translocation Team at K Hotels in Entebbe, with a call to focus on practical delivery and avoid unnecessary bureaucracy.
The meeting has drawn together a cross-section of technical experts, including veterinarians, rangers, logistics and transport specialists, and security personnel who will be directly responsible for the safe and successful translocation of rhinos from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to Ajai Wildlife Reserve. Notably, the team includes seven UWA staff who recently returned from Kenya after participating in a benchmarking exercise on rhino translocation. While in Kenya, they actively took part in the capture and translocation of rhinos from Lake Nakuru National Park and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to Segera Wildlife Conservancy, gaining first-hand experience in procedures, handling, and coordination.
Mr. Sabilla emphasized that the return of rhinos to Ajai Wildlife Reserve is not only a government priority, enshrined in the 
government manifesto, NDP IV, and UWA’s conservation plans, but also a national expectation. “The rhinos must be in Ajai. This is not the time for bureaucracy. Be practical, be thorough, and get the job done,” he said. “We have a deadline of December which is just around the corner and we should work towards meeting the deadline,” he added.
He stressed that the government, local leaders in West Nile, clan elders, and the President himself are fully behind this initiative. “You have the goodwill, the support, and the resources. Unfortunately, you don’t have the luxury of time,” he warned.
Sabilla expressed full confidence in the team’s ability, particularly given the added expertise brought from the Kenya experience. He remarked that delivering to rhinos to Ajai is not only for the benefit of people in West Nile but the whole country. “Do this not for the people of West Nile but for Uganda as a whole and above all, deliver these rhinos for God,” he urged.
The meeting is expected to conclude with a concrete, time-bound action plan to guide the next steps in this landmark conservation effort, aimed at restoring rhinos to their historical home in Ajai Wildlife Reserve.