Jasiri's second calf was born in August this year. It is a female, and according to the trackers of Akagera National Park, managed by a collaboration between African Parks and Rwanda Development Board, both the calf and Jasiri are doing well. Together with her older calf, born in May 2023, Jasiri left the area where she was released into the wild and now they roam in the northern part of the park where the white rhino population has settled, too.

The older calf has been observed in the same area as Jasiri and it has grown so much that at the end of October conservationists from Akagera decided to sedate it and insert a transmitter into its horn to help rangers with easier tracking of the animal. At the same time, the older calf also received its name – with the assistance of Akagera trackers, the name Juru („heaven“) was chosen by the Dvůr Králové rhino keeper Jan Žďárek, who also years ago  participated in choosing the name Jasiri, which means „brave“.

Jasiri was born in Dvůr Králové in 2016, weighing only 17 kg instead of the usual 35 kg. She was so small that she couldn't reach her mother's teats, so the team of keepers at Dvůr Králové had to milk her mother day and night and feed Jasiri through a bottle to keep her alive. Jan Žďárek was among the keepers who kept feeding Jasiri for more than a week until she finally started to suckle by herself. She did so well that later she could be chosen for the transportation to Akagera.

Today, Jasiri is a confident rhino that lives in the wild, takes exemplary care of her calf and, when necessary, even chases the older calf away a bit. The likely father of both calves is the male Mandela, as at the time of conception Jasiri was still in the area where they were both released into the wild, and there are no adult males in the area where Jasiri and her calf now roam. 

Mandela and another female from Europe named Olmoti are still in the release area with their calf, born in April 2024, and all three are in excellent shape. They have even been joined by a male rhino who came from the south of the park and comes from a crash of rhinos that was brought to Akagera from South Africa. After three calves were born to "European" rhinos, park managers hope that the "European" and "South African" population will mix in the foreseeable future.

The new calf is a result of a collaboration between the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), the Government of Rwanda and African Parks. The historic translocation of five black rhinos, born and bred in Europe, began at Safari Park Dvůr Králové (Czech Republic) where all the animals were brought together in November 2018. The rhinos - that included three females and two males with ages ranging from two to nine - were then transferred 6,000 km to Akagera National Park in June 2019. 

Three rhinos from Dvůr, one from Flamingo Land in the UK, and one from Ree Park Safari in Denmark were initially placed in a pen (called boma) upon their arrival in Akagera. The purpose of this enclosure was to allow them to acclimate to their new home and environment. Jasiri, Mandela, and Olmoti successfully completed their adaptation process and were released into the park after six months of acclimation. This release was carried out gradually and cautiously, with a dedicated team of trackers closely monitoring their transition into the wild. Over time, these three rhinos fully adjusted to their surroundings and transformed into completely wild animals. The birth of Jasiri’s and Mandela’s second calf is an indication that the whole translocation has been successful and contributes to establishment of the diverse black rhino population in Rwanda.

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The black rhino female Jasiri gave birth to her second calf! It is most likely sired by Mandela who – as well as Jasiri - arrived from European Association of Zoos and Aquaria to Akagera in 2019, meaning that the "European" rhinos now have their third calf in Rwanda. 

Jasiri's second calf was born in August this year. It is a female, and according to the rangers at Akagera National Park, both the calf and Jasiri are doing well. The first calf has grown so much that conservationists from Akagera decided to sedate it at the end of October and insert a transmitter into its horn to help rangers track the animal more easily. At the same time, the older calf was also named. With the help of Akagera trackers, the Safari Park Dvůr Králové rhino keeper Honza Žďárek chose the name Juru, which means "heaven" in Kinyarwanda.

Thanks to the cooperation of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), the Rwandan government, and African Parks, five critically endangered black rhinos born and raised in Europe made the 6,000 km journey from Safari Park Dvůr Králové to Akagera National Park in 2019. Three rhinos from Dvůr Králové, one from Flamingo Land in the UK, and one from Ree Park Safari in Denmark were initially placed in a pen with an adjacent enclosure upon their arrival to Akagera to allow them to acclimate to their new environment. They were then gradually released into the park, adapted to their surroundings, and now behave like completely wild animals. The second calf of Jasiri and Mandela is further confirmation of the successful return of rhinos to the wild in Rwanda.