Conservationists in Kenya are celebrating the return of rhinos to a protected plateau where they have not been seen in decades. The successful transfer of 21 eastern black rhinos to a new home will give them room to reproduce and could help increase the population of these critically endangered animals.
This has been the largest and most complex rhino relocation ever undertaken in Kenya. The operation was carried out by dozens of Kenya Wildlife Service workers. The rhinos came from three parks that were becoming overpopulated with this species and were transferred to the private Loisaba conservation center, a place where poaching wiped out hundreds of rhinos decades ago. "It's been almost 50 years since rhinos roamed here," said Loisaba security director Daniel Ole Yiankere.
Safely moving rhinos is a very serious safety challenge. The operation lasted 18 days and involved tracking the rhinos using a helicopter and then shooting them with tranquilizer darts. These animals, which weigh about a ton each, were then loaded onto the back of trucks for transport. National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale captured spectacular images of the process that she has shared on her Instagram account.
Some of the rhinos were moved from Nairobi National Park, making a journey of about 300 kilometers. The others came from two parks closer to Loisaba.
The operational and logistical difficulties of the relocation culminated when a sedated rhino fell into a stream. Veterinarians and rangers held the rhino's head above the water with a rope to prevent drowning while a reverse tranquilizer took effect and the rhino could be freed.
Rhinos are generally solitary animals and live happiest in large territories. As the number of rhinos has increased in the three parks from which they were moved, Wildlife Service officials decided to relocate some in the hopes that they will be happier and more likely to reproduce.
David Ndere, a rhino expert with the Kenya Wildlife Service, said their reproduction rates decline when there are too many of them in a territory. "By removing some animals, we hope the rhino population in those areas will increase," Ndere said. "And then we reintroduce that founding population of at least 20 animals into new areas."
Tom Silvester, executive director of the Loisaba Conservancy, said Kenya's plan is to get black rhino numbers to 2,000 over the next decade. "Once we have 2,000 individuals, we will have established a population that will give us hope that we have rescued them from extinction," he said.
Kenyan authorities have relocated more than 150 rhinos in the last decade. Once again it has been shown that it is not a simple task, but conservationists have greatly improved this type of operation. There are tragic examples such as an operation in 2018, where an attempt to transport 11 rhinos ended in disaster when all the animals died shortly after the transfer.
Kenya is also home to the last two northern white rhinos left on the planet. Researchers said last month that they hope to save this subspecies after creating an embryo in a lab from an egg and sperm previously collected from white rhinos and transferring it to a surrogate female black rhino. However, this test failed and the surrogate mother died from an infection after a flood.
