Rebecca has been working at FFI since September 2007. Though she studied conservation in her BA and MSc, she decided that the life in the jungle just wasn't for her. Having grown up in New York City, she has experienced more pigeons and squirrels than parrots and spider monkeys. So she decided to write about the impact that FFI's projects have on the ground.
Her current role as Communications Officer (Business & Biodiversity) has allowed her to focus her energy towards FFI's innovative Business & Biodiversity Programme. Rebecca helps to get the message out about FFI's strategic corporate partnerships and what they have helped to achieve for global biodiversity.
Fauna & Flora International is delighted to announce the birth of two black rhino calves at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, a 40,000-hectare former cattle ranch which FFI secured and established as a wildlife conservancy in 2005.
The births occurred within eight days of each other in January. The first calf, born to 12 year old Roberta, was discovered on the 4th of January, just moments after birth. This is Roberta’s first calf, at a relatively late age, as black rhinos typically start calving between the ages of 5 to 7 years.
The second of the new calves, born to Cathy, was sighted on the 16th of January, and was believed to be about 3 days old. This is also Cathy’s first calving, at a typical 6 1/2 years of age.
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is East Africa’s largest black rhino sanctuary and an important national resource for the restocking of other areas. The two new births bring the Conservancy’s black rhino population to 80.
Black rhinos are officially listed among the world’s Critically Endangered species, having been pushed to the brink of extinction by illegal poaching for their horn and by loss of habitat, factors that collectively saw a steep 96% decline in their global population between 1970 and 1996. Less than 4000 individuals remain in the wild today.
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