Ongava’s Rhinos: The Heartbeat of the Reserve

At Ongava, conservation is never a backdrop, it is our story.

The sun rises over the golden savanna, casting a warm glow across the vast plains of Ongava Game Reserve. Here, in the heart of Namibia, life moves at a rhythm that has endured for centuries. This is rhino country, a place where survival and hope walk side by side. Once four unproductive cattle farms, Ongava is now a thriving sanctuary for countless species, with rhinos at its very core. Their presence is both a gift and a responsibility. One carried with deep dedication by everyone who calls Ongava home.

A Species on the Brink

Across Africa, rhino populations have been decimated. Poaching for rhino horn remains one of the greatest threats to these magnificent animals. Criminal syndicates fuel the illegal trade, putting rhinos at risk every single day.

Inside Ongava’s Discovery Center, a map reveals the rhino’s once-vast range now reduced to a handful of pinpoints. Black and white rhinos, once abundant across the continent, now exist only in small, fragmented populations. Numbers in the thousands may sound encouraging, until one understands they represent an 83–85% decline. Sobering though it is, this story is not one of despair, but of resilience.

White and Black, Side by Side

Ongava is one of the rare places where both white and black rhinos roam freely. While closely related, their differences are striking. White rhinos are larger, with a broad, square-shaped mouth suited to grazing on grasses, while black rhinos are slightly smaller, with a pointed upper lip designed to grasp leaves and branches from shrubs and trees. Understanding these adaptations deepens appreciation for their unique roles in the ecosystem and the distinct challenges each species faces.

Every rhino at Ongava is known and carefully monitored from birth. A dedicated rhino monitoring program tracks each individual, documenting family lines to maintain a healthy, genetically diverse population. After years of drought that had made supplemental feeding a costly necessity, the rains returned to Ongava. The plains blossomed with fresh grass and new shoots, filling the air with the scent of wet earth. For the first time in years, food is abundant and natural, a gift from the land that reminds everyone at Ongava that resilience and renewal are always possible.

Guardians on the Ground

Keeping these animals safe is no small task. Ongava is proud to maintain a record of zero poaching incidents to date, a remarkable achievement in a world where the threat is ever-present. The success of the reserve’s conservation efforts relies on a layered, round-the-clock protection and anti-poaching system including foot patrols, trained canine teams, aerial support, advanced monitoring technologies and so much more. A multi-faceted approach designed to deter threats.

A remarkable unit in these protection efforts are the Ongava anti-poaching K9’s. Skilled in detecting intruders, tracking human scent and responding rapidly when their handlers need them. These four-legged guardians are more than security tools, they are trusted partners whose intelligence, loyalty, and skill play a vital role in keeping the rhinos safe. Guests who meet them while out on a drive through the reserve leave inspired, witnessing firsthand how teamwork across species can help save a precious animal.

Science with Purpose

Ongava is not only a haven but also a living laboratory. With almost 20 years at Ongava, Abigail Guerier brings both scientific expertise and a deep passion for wildlife conservation. She began her journey as a researcher in 2005 and has led Ongava’s Rhino Programme since 2012. Under her guidance, the groundbreaking work conducted on the reserve, including genetics studies and research on population health, ensures that every intervention is carefully informed and every rhino has the best chance at thriving in the wild. At the heart of this, the genetic research ensures healthy bloodlines and reduces the risk of inbreeding, safeguarding the resilience of future generations.

The team also manages a notching program that contributes to both protection and research through the identification and careful monitoring of each individual. Discreet tracking technology is deployed across the reserve, allowing the team to monitor movement, behaviour, and overall well-being, while also supporting security and research programs that guide conservation decisions.

Beyond daily protection, Ongava contributes to broader scientific understanding. From feeding preference studies to climate-change population modelling, these research initiatives help predict the pressures rhinos may face in years to come. Each insight brings us closer to ensuring that rhinos not only survive, but prosper in their natural habitats.

Why It Matters

Rhinos are more than icons of Africa’s wilderness. They are an umbrella species, whose survival helps preserve entire ecosystems and countless other creatures that share their habitat. When calves run alongside their mothers and the plains teem with life once again, it is a reminder of why this work matters.

Every birth is a victory.

Every day without incident is a triumph.

And every guest who leaves Ongava with a deeper understanding of the effort required to protect these animals becomes a partner in the ongoing story of their survival.

Conservation is a responsibility that cannot be carried alone. By visiting Ongava, learning its stories, and sharing them with the world, guests become part of the solution. Here, in this corner of Namibia, hope endures.

As long as rhinos roam the Ongava plains, the team will continue to stand guard with people, with science, and with K9’s at their side. Protecting the land and the generations yet to come.

"Rhinos are extraordinary creatures - prehistoric, yet still powerfully present and awe inspiring in this modern world. To roam this small piece of dusty land with them is a privilege.
The threats facing our planet’s wildlife today are too vast to fully comprehend. And while human activity is at the root of many of these challenges, people are also key to the solution.
On World Rhino Day, and every day, we honour the resilience of rhinos, and the dedication of those who work tirelessly to secure their future. Thank you for being part of the solution." — Abigail Guerier, Rhino Programme Manager