British royal Prince Harry wants to invest US$8m (about R118m) in the next five years as part of a joint venture between his African Parks organisation and Zimbabwe government’s national parks (ZimParks) to revive the country’s flagship rhino haven.

The 1,407km2 Matusadona National Park - also known as Kariba National Park - is situated in the north-west of Zimbabwe on the southern shores of Lake Kariba. It used to house about 35% of Zimbabwe’s black rhino population.

However, years of abandon and syndicate-led poaching destroyed the park, which was created in 1958 when conservationist Rupert Fothergill orchestrated “Operation Noah” and moved animals away from the newly constructed Kariba Dam.

Today, animals struggle to get by. There is diminished interest from tourists, with park chalets and other infrastructure for human habitations destroyed.

It appears the interest of Prince Harry - who was officially named African Parks' president in December 2017 - comes just in time.

“We are extremely delighted,” said ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo.