There were 20,000 black rhinos in Kenya in 1970, and by 1990 there were only 400 left. Those 400 animals were still alive thanks to conservation efforts of people coming together both locally and internationally, and the birth of sanctuaries, game reserves and conservancies. In Kenya, this number has now increased to approximately 800 rhinos. This decline in the 1980s and 1990s, was orchestrated greatly by poaching and habitat loss because of increasing human population numbers. Rhino horn demand, which is purely compacted hairs just like our nails and hair, has widely caused this decline, especially in regions where it is dubbed a cure for cancer, influenza, convulsions, fevers amongst others. In some areas, powdered rhino horn is even believed to be an aphrodisiac presumably because rhinos are one of the animals with a long copulation period ranging from 20 to 60 minutes. All these myths have been debunked by experts yet many people still choose to ignore this.
Rhinos are charismatic animals, carrying a pre-historic appearance that leaves many of us marvelling at their magnificence. Being keystone species in nature, they are territorial and to achieve a healthy population they need to have adequate space, more so black rhinos.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy holds around 18% of the total population of eastern black rhinos in Kenya, with over a 130 freely roaming within the conservancy’s 90,000 acres. Keeping them safe requires a lot of input by patrol units, armed rangers, a K-9 unit, multiple vehicles, a thorough radio communications network, aerial surveillance amongst others. This is the sacrifice and the cost we have to pay if we are to see these beings thrive now and in the years to come.
This World Rhino Day is a perfect day to commit to your role in helping in the continuity of these gentle giants. Without your contribution, they might end up in children books like the dinosaurs or the dodo birds, or struggling like the critically endangered northern white rhinos. We can’t stand back and be the generation that watches the extinction of rhinos and do nothing about it. The time to act is now.
James Mwenda – Northern White Rhino Caregiver & Ol Pejeta’s Brand Ambassador