Fauna & Flora’s long-term partner, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, is among those celebrating the successful translocation of 21 eastern black rhinos to a new safe haven in Kenya.
The carefully coordinated relocation of the rhinos took place over an 18-day period. Highly trained capture and veterinary experts drawn from the Kenya Wildlife Service and its partners tranquillised a total of 11 female and 10 male rhinos, which were transported by lorry to their new home in Loisaba, a conservancy in Laikipia. The 21 newcomers – comprising three rhinos from Nairobi National Park, six rhinos from Ol Pejeta and 12 rhinos from Lewa Conservancy – will form the nucleus of a new breeding population.
Black rhino mother and calf. © Will Burrard-Lucas / Nature Picture Library
Why are rhinos being relocated?
Black rhinos were once numerous in Loisaba, but years of intensive poaching took a severe toll. According to local elders, they were locally extinct by the mid 1970s. However, the habitat itself remains ideal, meaning that the reintroduced rhinos should thrive provided they receive adequate protection.
Black rhinos are solitary creatures by nature and need space in which to breed. Currently Kenya’s 16 rhino sanctuaries are victims of their own success, and some no longer have the carrying capacity to accommodate the growing numbers of resident rhinos.
Overcrowding can have lethal consequences. One of the main causes of rhino mortality in recent years has been territorial fights between males in existing sanctuaries. Competition for space also inhibits breeding activity and prevents the kind of population growth that would occur in more natural, truly wild conditions.
The long-term future of this critically endangered subspecies will therefore hinge on re-establishing viable breeding populations in some of its former strongholds across Kenya and the rest of East Africa.
How many rhinos are enough?
Collective action on the part of the Kenyan government, local communities and conservation partners including Fauna & Flora and Ol Pejeta has already had a positive impact on the eastern black rhino population, which has more than doubled since the mid-1980s and now stands at 1,004 individuals. However, the national action plan for black rhinos has a target of 2,000 individuals, which is considered the minimum for a sustainable population.
Kenya’s recent success is down to a combination of government policy and global partnerships with conservation organisations and donors whose collective efforts have reversed the decline of one of Africa’s most iconic animals. In particular, increased security and successful prosecutions of poachers have also helped to stem the tide.
Moving a black rhino into position for transport. © Rio The Photographer / Ol Pejeta Conservancy
A blueprint for rhino conservation
The country was home to around 20,000 black rhinos in the 1970s before they were decimated by poaching for their horns, which were sold as decorative dagger handles in the Middle East and medicines in the Far East. By the time the Kenya Wildlife Service was established in 1989, numbers of the eastern black rhino subspecies had declined to below 400. Since then, they have made a remarkable comeback. Today, Kenya hosts approximately 80% of the entire surviving global population of eastern black rhinos.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which Fauna & Flora has supported for over two decades, is a perfect example of what can be achieved. It is currently the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa (and home to the world’s last two surviving northern white rhinos). In 1993, Ol Pejeta had just 20 rhinos. It now harbours over 200, thanks to its dedicated rangers and innovative anti-poaching operations.
The latest reintroduction of these 21 animals represents another significant milestone in Kenya’s rhino recovery action plan. Nevertheless, the black rhino remains a critically endangered species both here and elsewhere in Africa. Ongoing support for its protection will be crucial to the long-term survival prospects of this supersized symbol of the savannah.
Loisaba and Ol Pejeta Conservancy teams celebrate the successful rhino relocation. © Rio The Photographer / Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Rescuing rhinos
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Donate todayEastern black rhino. © Sacha Specker / Adobe Stock