Ol Pejeta Conservancy Welcomes Black Rhino Calves

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy, one of AWF's conservation partners in the Samburu Heartland, recently announced the birth of two black rhinos. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is the largest black rhino sanctuary in all of East Africa.

The first rhino calf made its appearance on Jamhuri Day, a national holiday commemorating Kenya's independence from colonial rule. The calf, appropriately named Jamhuri (which means "republic" in Swahili), was born to Njoki, one of the rhinos translocated in February 2007 from Solio Ranch to Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

The second new calf, discovered by a rhino patrolman three days later, was born to Tatizo, a female estimated to be almost 10 years old and first identified at Ol Pejeta during an ear-notching exercise in 2005. The staff at Ol Pejeta has yet to settle on a name for Tatizo's calf.

After a 15-month pregnancy, black rhinos deliver their calves in dense bush and stay hidden for safety. Females are viciously protective of their young, making it impossible for Ol Pejeta patrol teams to get close enough to identify the sex. Both Jamhuri and Tatizo's calves have to be sexed.

The new arrivals bring the Ol Pejeta's total number of black rhinos to 77: 38 males, 32 females, and 7 unsexed calves.

The births are another milestone in efforts to protect this critically endangered species. In Kenya, the number of black rhinos dropped from an estimated 20,000 in the 1970s to less than 300 in the 1980s. This drastic decline was due to unabated poaching inside and outside national parks and reserves. Kenya was at the forefront of efforts to offer concentrated and effective protection in sanctuaries, a strategy that has been a major factor in increasing the numbers of black rhinos worldwide.

Through various conservation initiatives, the remaining black rhino population has been protected from poaching, and the current population in Kenya is estimated at 539. By 2010, Kenya aims to increase its black rhino numbers to 650. One major challenge for coping with the gradual but steady increase in rhino numbers will be the limited availability of areas with suitable habitat and adequate security; the expansion of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy will help in this regard by providing a further 75,000 acres of prime black rhino habitat.

For more information on Ol Pejeta Conservancy, click here or visit www.olpejetaconservancy.org.