the rebirth of Akagera Park, a sanctuary for animals

On board a small boat, a few visitors got up at dawn to come and observe the animals on the shores of Lake Ihema, in Akagera National Park (Rwanda) Crocodiles and buffaloes also start their day . The guide, Innocent Ndagijimana, is delighted. “We are very happy to see them. The buffaloes are not afraid. They observe us without problem. They are comfortable, there is no poaching”, he rejoices. The huge Akagera park finally comes back to life. If today it is home to all the emblematic animals of the savannah, just 10 years ago, wildlife had practically disappeared.

In 1994, the Rwandan genocide killed nearly a million people. The reserve was abandoned, the survivors hunted there to survive and the poachers decimated many species. An association, which manages the park with the Rwandan government, has, in recent years, reintroduced dozens of animals from South Africa. At the end of November, they organized the largest animal transfer in history. 30 white rhinos, arrived by plane, joined the 13,000 species of animals now present in the park. Even the lion is back. “We try to observe their living conditions every day. Right now, it’s their gestation period, and we’ve really had a lot of births lately.”, explains Denise Atumugwane, guide of the national park.