Blog & News

Mit der Umsiedlung von Spitzmaulnashörnern konnten wir in den letzten Wochen die Ankunft neuer Spitzmaulnashorn-Blutlinien in Kuzikus miterleben, während Andere sich auf den Weg machten, um Populationen anderswo zu stärken.

Die Umsiedlung ist mehr als nur das Versetzen von Tieren; sie ist eine wichtige Naturschutzstrategie, die die genetische Vielfalt in diesen isolierten Zuchtgruppen erhält. 
Jedes umgesiedelte Nashorn ist ein Schritt hin zu einer gesünderen und widerstandsfähigeren Zukunft für die Art. 

Das Engagement und Können aller Beteiligten hat uns eindrücklich vor Augen geführt, was es bedeutet, wahre Wildnis zu schützen.
Die ungebrochene Leidenschaft jedes einzelnen Tierarztes, Rangers, Piloten, Fährtenlesers und Unterstützers für den Schutz dieser unglaublichen Tiere gibt uns Hoffnung. 

Hoffnung, dass eines Tages, in einer Welt, in der Wildnisgebiete gedeihen und Nashörner frei und ohne Bedrohung umherstreifen, Umsiedlungen und Enthornungsaktionen nicht mehr notwendig sein werden. 🖤🦏 

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Black Rhino Translocation:  Protecting a Precious Gene Pool

Over the past few weeks, we’ve witnessed the arrival of new black rhino bloodlines into Kuzikus, while others embarked on their journey to strengthen populations elsewhere.

Translocation is more than just moving animals; it’s a vital conservation strategy that keeps genetic diversity alive in these isolated breeding groups. Each rhino moved represents a step toward a healthier, more resilient future for the species.

Watching the dedication and skill of everyone involved has been a profound reminder of what it takes to protect true wilderness.  To see the unbroken passion of every veterinarian, ranger, pilot, tracker, and support team member in safeguarding these incredible animals gives hope.

Hope that one day, in a world where wild spaces thrive and rhinos roam freely without threat, translocations and de-horning missions will no longer be necessary.🖤🦏 

In der Trockenzeit der Kalahari verlieren viele niedrige Sträucher ihre Blätter. Für das Spitzmaulnashorn bedeutet Überleben, höher zu greifen zu den saftigen, grünen Zweigen des Kameldornbaums.

Hier zeigt das Horn seinen wahren Zweck: Es dient nicht nur der Verteidigung, sondern ist auch ein Werkzeug. Mit präzisen und kraftvollen kurzen Hieben bricht das Nashorn die ausgewählten Zweige ab, um sich zu ernähren.

So fungiert das Spitzmaulnashorn als ständiger Gärtner der Savanne, formt die Landschaft und erhält sie offen. Jeder abgerissene Zweig ist sowohl Nahrung als auch eine Erinnerung an die wichtige Rolle des Nashorns in diesem Ökosystem.

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In the Kalahari dry season, many low bushes lose their leaves. For the black rhino, survival means reaching higher, the juicy green branches of the camel thorn tree. And here the horn shows its true purpose: not just defense, but a tool. With accurate & powerful short swings, the rhino breaks the chosen branches down to feed.

By doing so, the black rhino acts as a constant gardener of the savanna, shaping the landscape and keeping it open. Every branch pulled down is both a meal and a reminder of the rhino’s vital role in this ecosystem.

🦏 Nashörner: Vom Herrscher der Erde zum Aussterben verdammt? 🌍

Über 50 Millionen Jahre lang durchstreiften Nashörner den Planeten – Giganten wie Paraceratherium überragten einst die Savannen. Sie überlebten Eiszeiten, Raubtiere und den Wechsel der Kontinente.

Doch heute gibt es nur noch fünf Arten. Alle sind vom Aussterben bedroht. Einige, wie das Nördliche Breitmaulnashorn, sind fast ausgestorben.

Im Kuzikus Wildlife Reserve in Namibia arbeiten wir daran, das zu ändern. Durch praktischen Naturschutz, Forschung und gesellschaftliches Engagement schützen wir eine der ältesten Überlebenden der Erde.

💚 Besuchen Sie uns und helfen Sie, Nashörner zu beobachten, ihre Bewegungen zu verfolgen und den Lebensraumschutz zu unterstützen.
📍 Jede Aktion zählt. Jeder Fußabdruck zählt.

Schreiben Sie gemeinsam mit uns das nächste Kapitel der Nashorngeschichte – ein Kapitel voller Hoffnung, Widerstandskraft und wilder Schönheit.

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🦏 Rhinos: From Rulers of the Earth to the Brink of Extinction 🌍

For over 50 million years, rhinos roamed the planet—giants like Paraceratherium once towered over the savannahs. They survived ice ages, predators, and shifting continents.

But today, only 5 species remain. All are endangered. Some, like the northern white rhino, are nearly gone.

At Kuzikus Wildlife Reserve in Namibia, we’re working to change that. Through hands-on conservation, research, and community involvement, we’re protecting one of Earth’s oldest survivors.

💚 Visit us and help monitor rhinos, track their movements, and support habitat protection.

📍 Every action counts. Every footprint matters.

Join us in writing the next chapter of the rhino’s story—one of hope, resilience, and wild beauty.

Obwohl die Regenmenge in dieser Regenzeit bisher nicht besonders gut war 🌧️, waren die Regenfälle immer so nah beieinander, dass das junge Gras nicht wieder austrocknete 🌱. Der starke Regen (52 mm) vor ein paar Tagen hat das Pflanzenwachstum endlich wieder angekurbelt 🌿. Hier genießen Juno und Yemba frische Kräuter (Tibulus spp.) 🌿.

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Although this rain season so far was not good measured in the quantity of rain 🌧️, the rain events were always just close enough for the young grass not to dry up again 🌱. The big rain event (52mm) a couple of days ago finally kickstarted vegetation growth 🌿. Here Juno and Yemba enjoying some fresh herbs (Tibulus spp.) 🌿.

Unser Kalahari Glamping-Erlebnis ⛺ entführt Sie aus der Zivilisation. Sie verbringen einen Nachmittag und eine Nacht in unserem gemütlichen Buschcamp, das rustikalen Komfort wie ein hochwertiges, bequemes Bett und alle Annehmlichkeiten bietet, die Sie brauchen.

Kein Internet, kein Strom, aber ein Lagerfeuer 🔥, ein traditioneller Eintopf und eine gute Flasche Wein 🍷 stehen bei Sonnenuntergang für Sie bereit. Die perfekte Mischung aus Abenteuer und Entspannung, die Ihnen die Möglichkeit gibt, die immense Ruhe der Savanne zu genießen.

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Our Kalahari Glamping Experience ⛺ takes you away from civilization. You will spend an afternoon and a night in our cozy bush camp, featuring rustic comforts like a good quality comfortable bed and all the amenities you need.

No internet, no electricity but a campfire 🔥, a traditional stew and a good bottle of wine 🍷 will be ready for you as the sun sets. The perfect blend of adventure and relaxation, giving you the opportunity to soak up the immense tranquility of the savanna.

🦏 Wenn wir Nashörner verfolgen, nähern wir uns ihnen nie „mit“ dem Wind ...
 Nashörner haben einen außergewöhnlichen Geruchs- und Gehörsinn, sodass sie uns leicht erkennen können, wenn wir uns im Wind befinden.
Da wir sie nicht stören möchten, verwenden wir einen einfachen Test, um die Windrichtung zu bestimmen: "Wirf einfach eine Handvoll Sand in die Luft und beobachte, in welche Richtung er weht"💨🍃

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🦏 When tracking rhinos, we never approach them "with" the wind ...
Rhinos have an exceptional sense of smell and hearing, making it easy for them to detect us if we're upwind. Since we don't want to disturb them we use a simple test to determine the wind direction:
"Just toss a handful of sand into the air and observe which way it drifts" 💨🍃

Der Vollmond hat erhebliche Auswirkungen auf die Nashornwilderei.

Während der drei Tage um den Vollmond, die gemeinhin als „Wilderermond“ bezeichnet werden, steigt das Risiko der Nashornwilderei, da die bessere Sicht den Wilderern hilft, sich in der Wildnis zurechtzufinden und Nashörner auch in abgelegenen Gebieten aufzuspüren. Daten zeigen, dass die Zahl der Nashornwildereien bei Vollmond am höchsten ist.

Zu den Bemühungen zur Bekämpfung der Nashornwilderei gehört daher auch eine erhöhte Wachsamkeit während diesem Mondspektakel.

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The full moon has a significant impact on rhino poaching.

During the three days around a full moon, commonly referred to as the “poachers’ moon,” the risk of rhino poaching increases, because of increased visibility helps poachers to navigate through the wilderness and locate rhinos, even in remote areas.

Data shows that incidents of rhino poaching tend to peak during the full moon.

Efforts to combat rhino poaching include increased vigilance during these lunar spectacles.

Chilled out for once.
The King of Kuzikus, the father of many, a remnant of the old regime, introduced from Etosha National Park in 1997 as part of 6 Black Rhino translocated to Kuzikus.

Now the last survivor of that old lot, him still patrolling Kuzikus since 27 years.
What an awesome character. What a privilege to track him and see what he is up to…always ready for a surprise.

Other than used for effective breaking of branches for feeding, the Black Rhinos horns are essential for self-defense and territorial battles.

When faced with threats, black rhinos use their horns to fend off attackers or protect their young. Despite being made of keratin (the same material as our hair and nails), these horns are strong and sharp enough to penetrate even the thick hide that rhinos have.

In that respect, dehorning some members of a black rhino population while leaving others intact should be carefully considered in the light of disrupting Black Rhino ecology and the likelihood of increased mortality through territorial fighting.

If you are tracking a certain black rhino population for over 25 years you can’t help but to become emotionally attached to the individuals.

You learn to tell them apart by their footprints, you recognize individual character triads and habits, you see them grow up and develop. Every time you track and find them you learn more about their incredible behavior and individual character.

The black rhino that arguably taught us the most was Hermes, who died from the wounds suffered in yet another fight with his great rival Columbus. Respect to this great beast of an ancient world.

Happy World Rhino Day

Today we announce the birth of Little female Rhino *Khwe, first spotted this month .

Funny enough, September seems to be Kuzikus Rhino month, from Kiacho to Jemba to Khwe, rhino Babies on Kuzikus seem to be delivered in September.

In that regard Happy world rhino day to everyone who visited Kuzikus and big Thanks for your support.

*The KHWE people are a very proud minority in Namibia related to the San but originally home to the North-eastern part of Namibia (West Caprivi, now Bwabwata National Park), Southern Angola, Botswana and parts of Zambia. Khwe people are traditionally hunter-gatherers and have a rich cultural heritage such as their own language, which is a dialect continuum of the Khoe family with only some 8,000 speakers. In their distinct history the Khwe people have faced various challenges over the years, including land dispossession and discrimination. However, efforts are being made to preserve their culture.

In the beginning of the last century settlers introduced lamb to the jackal’s menu of the Kalahari. They then went on to spend the following decades engineering ever evolving strategies aimed at eradicating this cunning and clever opportunist from “his savannah” or “their farms”.

And yet, the scavenger known to eat almost anything, still scuttles and skulks about as ever, still looking for the perfect chance to steal a meal.

On Kuzikus we surely grant the jackal the ultimate accolade as Africa’s most opportunistic omnivore, quickly adapting to overcome any new challenge.

Puffadder and friends...

One of the most frequently asked questions. And the answer is, yes there is.

The puff adder is one of two venomous species. But don't worry, you have to be "lucky" to see one.

Yesterday was such a day. Fritz caught them and released them further out into the wild. Fritz was trained in dealing with snakes some time ago by Francois Theat from Snakes of Namibia. Good for both sides.

Look forward to unique people, animals and insights !

My name is Nicola, I'm from Germany and I'm here to take pictures at Kuzikus Wildlife Reserve. In the coming weeks we will show you this beautiful place in more detail. In addition to the landscape, the variety of species and the activities offered, I will also accompany the individual people in their work photographically. Look forward to unique people, animals and insights into everyday work at Kuzikus.

Want inspiration? Try being charged by a two-ton African black rhino.

Early in her career, wildlife biologist Zoe Jewell and her team came across a mother rhino and her calf and carefully moved closer to get a better look.

Black rhinos are very secretive during the day, especially when they have a baby. After a number of attempts, to the delight of the guests accompanying us, we managed to follow the new black rhino calf and its mother on the trail and get it right in front of the lens....

Eight years ago, Fritz and Berend set out to make Kuzikus the best-documented wildlife reserve in Africa. The entire reserve was to be digitally quantified in high resolution using drones. At that time, the drones flew for barely half an hour and the performance of the computers left a lot to be desired.

Predominantly nocturnal, the African Wild Cat is very territorial. Over the past year we have been able to find out where their territories are on Kuzikus. Therefore we are getting great opportunities to observe them. Their largest recorded prey items include hares, springhares, and birds (up to the size of a guinea...

Man and Nature

Processing and pondering about yesterday’s eventful effort, I can’t help the thought that dehorning somehow seemed to show me what my and my kids relationship with Nature might boil down to in the future.

All 41 Giraffes of Kuzikus are now named  Everybody knows that photoidentification of individual giraffes living in the wild is possible by using characteristic coat or skin patterns. Computer vision techniques are often mentioned to be an appealing and unavoidable help to tackle this apparently simple task in the big-data era.