Rwanda's Lone Remaining Rhino To Get Company In Ecotourism Bid - AFP

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Rwandan wildlife authorities said Tuesday they would import 15 black rhinos to replenish their decimated stock, reduced to just one known animal by poaching and habitat encroachment.

As part of broader efforts to lure wealthy eco-tourists to the country still known for its 1994 genocide, officials said they were negotiating with Kenya and South Africa for the new rhinos and hoped the first would arrive soon. "We are negotiating a deal to bring in 15 black rhinos from Kenya and South Africa as soon as possible," Fidel Ruzigandekwe, wildlife director at Rwanda's National Tourism Office, told AFP.

He said Kigali was also negotiating with the US-based International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to finance the purchase of the fresh rhino stock, estimated to cost some 600,000 dollars (473,000 euros) over nearly 10 years. "Currently, we know of the existence of only one rhino left in Rwanda," Ruzigandekwe said. "A substantial number of animals were either killed by poachers or they fled the country during the war." "Many others have also died due to encroachment on the parks by returning Rwandan refugees," he added.

The discovery of Rwanda's lone rhino only two weeks ago became a major news event in local media and was heralded as a potentially important find for the country's struggling tourism industry.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/2006/060926143922.c4vqt8en.html