A five-year-old rhino, popularly known as Lewis, which was recently spotted roaming Livingstone townships and later Kazungula District in Southern Zambia, has been safely returned to Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park following a successful darting operation by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW).
Lewis was first seen along Botswana Road before moving into Nachilinda Village in Kazungula District.
According to police reports, the rhino injured a wildlife police officer and damaged a civilian’s motor vehicle prior to the darting exercise.
A team of officers from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, working alongside wildlife conservationists and led by Southern Region Senior Wildlife Warden Wilfred Moonga, successfully carried out the darting operation.
Speaking after the exercise, Dr. Brian Musalo, a veterinary officer with the department for the Southern and Western regions, said the operation was necessary to ensure the animal’s safety and its safe return to its natural habitat.
Senior Warden Moonga reiterated the department’s commitment to protecting wildlife and preventing human-wildlife conflict, urging communities to refrain from poaching activities, noting that the rhino has been a target in the recent past.
Authorities have attributed the animal’s movement out of the park to poor fencing at Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park.
The rhino has since been secured within the park in a protected enclosure under tight security.
By Gabriel Josias Muuba
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