Notable events occurred in Akagera National Park during the last quarter of the year, ranging from interesting wildlife sightings to conservation efforts, community engagement activities, and staff and cooperative training, among others. This newsletter provides a comprehensive overview of Akagera National Park’s final months in 2023.
Special rhino race. On 26th December 2023, the Rhino Velo Race returned on a larger-than-normal scale! In partnership with Kayonza District and Rwanda Cycling Federation, the competition witnessed enthusiastic participation from 178 local community members as well as 67 elite cyclists, which added to the grandeur of the event. Among the local participants, Ukurikiye Xavier emerged victorious in the men’s category, while Ndagijimana Diane claimed victory in the women’s category for the 35km race. In the elite category, Eric Muhoza secured first place in the men’s 73.8km race, while Diane Ingabire triumphed in the women’s category. The Rhino Velo Race not only showcased athletic prowess but also celebrated the return of the rhinos to Akagera. As an annual event, it is a powerful platform for building goodwill with Akagera’s community, helping promote the message of conservation. Winners were awarded prizes such as brand-new bicycles, cooking gas equipment and water filters among others.
Rhino Velo race December 2023. Photo credit: Rwanda Cycling Federation
Staff party 2023. The Akagera staff celebrated Christmas and the end of the year with great excitement. The day included various activities, starting with a football match between the Akagera Management Company team and the Mantis Akagera Game Lodge team, which resulted in a victory for the Lodge’s team. Following the match, the staff gathered to listen to remarks from the park management and to honour the top performers in each department, who were awarded bicycles as a prize. Mantis Akagera Game Lodge generously offered coupons to some of the best-performing staff in 2023. The event concluded with a delightful shared meal, drinks, and music. It’s worth noting the significant growth of the Akagera management team, which has expanded from only 18 contracted staff in 2010 to over 320 in 2023, demonstrating the positive impact of the partnership between African Parks and RDB in providing employment opportunities for the local community.
Akagera National Park management team.
FGSA training for guides. The park recently hosted Mr. Henry Parsons, a FGASA (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa) trainer, for the first round of training for the Akagera Community Freelance Guides. The primary focus of this training was to enhance the ecological knowledge and guest management skills of the guides. FGASA is a highly-regarded organisation, known internationally for promoting and upholding gold-standard professional and ethical guiding training. It is anticipated that the training will greatly improve the professional capabilities of the community guides, in turn enhancing the visitor experience within Akagera National Park. The next session is scheduled for March 2024.
First and Second rounds of the FGASA training for Community Freelance Guides.
Ruzizi Tented Lodge. In November 2023, the Ruzizi Tented Lodge underwent a month-long refurbishment, focusing on its wooden boardwalk, terrace and interior design. Set on the edge of Lake Ihema, Ruzizi Tented Lodge, with nine ensuite tented rooms and accommodating up to 20 guests, is operated by the park. All operating profits from guests remain in the park to support conservation efforts and community development initiatives of the park. Book your stay at ruzizi@africanparks.org
Interesting sightingsAn eastern black rhino was sighted during a boat trip in the vicinity of Lake Ihema. Additionally, there were unusual sightings of a lion and leopard at Kabuga, a peninsula on Lake Ihema. Boat trips on Lake Ihema are also eliciting more frequent sightings of big mammals on the peninsulas, notably elephants, buffalos and shy bushbucks.Two shoebills, seven sitatunga, and numerous wetland-specialist bird species were observed during a survey flown over the core section of the wetlands.November/December is also the season in Akagera when the elephants in the northern plains migrate to the south of the park, with numerous sightings of elephant herds at Nyamwashama, Valley Dam and along the lakeshore road.An African Crake was also observed with chicks in Akagera. While common in the park, the bird is very secretive and hard to observe. It was especially interesting to see this intra-African migrant with chicks as Rwanda is generally considered outside of its breeding rangeAn African Barred owlet sighting was added to the interesting bird sightings this quarter. Following no sightings of the species in Akagera since 1981, four individuals were sighted for the first time in 2021. Since then, sightings have been regular and in a growing number of spots across the park.
Photos: A black rhino was spotted at Lake Ihema and an African Crake with chicks was spotted in Akagera. Photos credit: Innocent Ndagijimana and Drew Bantlin
Key species monitoring. October saw the completion of the annual collaring exercise by our conservation and research team. In addition to fitting lions, black and white rhinos, and elephants with tracking devices, we have expanded our monitoring program to include giraffes, with solar-powered GPS ear tags. Lions and elephants were fitted with GPS/VHF collars, while rhinos received in-horn VHF transmitters. All tracking devices were fitted following successful immobilizations of the animals. Many thanks to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation for their generous donation of the giraffe tags.
Giraffe tagging. Photo credit: Giraffe Conservation Foundation
Celebrating Akagera’s Kings. After more than eight years as the dominant coalition of Akagera National Park, lions Ntwali and Ngangari both passed away from old age in 2023. Ntwali, aged 13 years, and Ngangari, aged 12 years, were two of the seven pioneers of the Akagera lion population, reintroduced to the park in 2015 following almost two decades of absence. They were the only two males in the reintroduced cohort in 2015. Ntwali and Ngangari once ruled the northern plains territories before eventually relocating to the Magashi Peninsula, where they spent their remaining years alongside the lioness Amahoro. Akagera National Park is currently home to around 60 lions, and all of them are descendants of Ntwali and Ngangari. We celebrate their legacy, as they leave behind a now-thriving lion population in Akagera today.
Ntwali (left) and Ngangari (right) are the Pioneers of the Akagera lion population. Photos credits: Jes Gruner and Drew Bantlin
Building relationships with local leaders. During this quarter, we held meetings with 110 local leaders and various security organs, including representatives from the Rwanda Defense Force, Rwanda Police, Rwanda Investigation Bureau, and members of the National Public Prosecution Authority in the Eastern Province. This program aims at increasing awareness of conservation issues and the benefits of the park to the communities through employment and economic development, as well as fostering dialogue with the administration officials for their input on park management strategy.
Local leaders visit. Photo credit: Fiston Ishimwe
Capacity building for local Cooperatives.In collaboration with Kenyan-based Samaki Poa, a 4-day catfish farming training was held at Gishanda Fish Farm for 15 cooperative members and 4 students from the University of Rwanda. Topics covered included site selection, pond construction, water quality management, biosecurity, feed, broodstock management and harvesting. A cooperative training event was held on 13-14 December for 52 members of 13 cooperatives who were recipients of funding from the Tourism Revenue Sharing Scheme 2023-2024. The training covered topics of cooperative management, project management and marketing, SWOT analyses, business plan development, and required certifications. Building the capacity of the local communities will ensure the long-term sustainability of local businesses.
Cooperative members and students during the catfish farming training provided by Samaki Poa.
Ranger refresher programs. In October 2023, 91 Akagera National Park rangers completed the Ranger refresher training program. This training aimed to improve their skills, knowledge, and abilities to better execute their daily responsibilities. The program ensures that rangers are up-to-date with the latest techniques, technologies, and best practices in the field of wildlife conservation. It also covers fitness, unarmed combats, rifle-handling, investigation, and other essential aspects. The rangers’ main duties are to manage and maintain the ecological integrity of the park, as well as to ensure the safety of both the park’s inhabitants and visitors.
Environmental journalists workshop.Rwanda Environmental Journalists were facilitated to visit Akagera in December. This initiative aimed to provide the journalists with first-hand knowledge and awareness of the park’s conservation story. This was proactively organised by the park in response to several incidents of incorrect reporting of facts about the park in national media. Participants enjoyed a three-day visit filled with adventure and information-sharing workshops from the park’s communications team. This collaboration is essential for raising awareness about conservation issues and promoting responsible reporting on environmental matters.
Journalists at Akagera Day Visitor Center (left) and at Gishanda Fish Farm (right). Photo credit: REJ
Tree planting season. The period from October to December 2023 saw the successful planting of 29,124 indigenous trees across multiple sites in the community area outside Akagera, covering a total of 25 hectares. Tree planting within local communities is a vital element of community engagement programs, as it contributes to the propagation of indigenous plant species that are resilient to the harsh environmental conditions of the eastern province, ultimately aiding in the fight against climate change.
Wildlife Immobilization course. An immobilization course for local veterinarians was organized in collaboration with the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association (RWCA). The course included two days of theoretical training, followed by three days of practical training. The course hosted nine Rwanda veterinarians to build knowledge and theory of both wildlife health and conservation, receive hands-on practice, and develop the capacity to support a wide range of wildlife health needs and interventions in Akagera and Rwanda. During this time, 10 GPS ear tags were deployed on buffalo, zebra, and topi, and one snare was removed from a zebra.
Mosquito surveys were continued in two sections of the park in October and December 2023. 1826 mosquitos were collected in November while 3168 were collected in December. Surveys are focusing on two types of mosquitos, Ades/Culex and Anopheles. Results will allow us to map the prevalence of the mosquitos across the park.
Christophe Uwizeyimana is a Rwandan journalist who studied in University of Rwanda. He worked on Environmental, Health, Agriculture, Science and Business reporting from 2015 up to now.
He is Rwandan Health reporting Winner 2023, Rwandan Science Reporting Overall Winner 2023( in OFAB Rwanda Media Awards )and First runner up in OFAB AFRICA MEDIA AWARDS 2023-Science reporting/Radio Category.
Christophe Uwizeyimana is a Rwandan journalist who studied in University of Rwanda. He worked on Environmental, Health, Agriculture, Science and Business reporting from 2015 up to now.
He is Rwandan Health reporting Winner 2023, Rwandan Science Reporting Overall Winner 2023( in OFAB Rwanda Media Awards )and First runner up in OFAB AFRICA MEDIA AWARDS 2023-Science reporting/Radio Category.
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Akagera National Park management team.
Giraffe tagging. Photo credit: Giraffe Conservation Foundation
Local leaders visit. Photo credit: Fiston Ishimwe
Cooperative members and students during the catfish farming training provided by Samaki Poa.
