Air Charter Service (ACS) has relocated 16 southern white rhinos to Garamba National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), from a private game reserve in South Africa.

ACS was called into action by the non-profit conservation organisation African Parks.

"The last northern white rhino was poached in the DRC in 2006, and this project, arranged by African Parks, is part of a ground-breaking effort to restore the ecological balance of one of Africa's oldest national parks," said 
Lyndee du Toit, ACS South Africa's CEO.

"We were contacted by African Parks to source a suitable solution for the transportation of 16 rhinos from Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa to Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)," du Toit added, noting that a Hercules L-100 was later on determined to be the "best fit" for the job, largely because of its ability to land on short, dirt runways.

ACS South Africa's chief executive added that the rear-loading capability of the Hercules was also utilised as Barrick's Kibali Mine airstrip in northeastern DRC didn't have sufficient equipment to assist in offloading the rhinos.

"Using this aircraft meant that two flights were needed, as each rhino weighed around 2 tons or more. Through careful planning, we were able to perform both flights in the same week, with both being loaded at night and both arriving at first light in Kibalu," du Toit said.

The translocation was achieved through a collaboration with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), African Parks and &Beyond, and was sponsored by the Barrick Gold Corporation which has undertaken to support the project over the next few years.