![]() "Ol Pejeta is one of such spaces where we are seeing social stress within the population because of having attained carrying capacity. This number refers to the maximum number of rhinos that can be supported by available food and habitat in the sanctuary.Īccording to Mutisya, more than half of Kenya's rhino sanctuaries have reached their carrying capacity. Rising populations of black rhinos means more territorial disputes, sometimes ending in fatal confrontations.įor instance, Ol Pejeta Conservancy houses 169 black rhinos, but its 'carrying capacity' is 90. These sanctuaries require stringent security measures to combat the persistent threat of poaching.Īdditionally, they must allow rhinos to exhibit their natural behaviours, including territorial migration and genetically diverse breeding.īut sanctuaries often face another issue: overpopulation. This is a tremendous result when people pull together for a purpose," says Mutisya. In Kenya, for example, we have a population of about 1,000, and in Africa, it is estimated about 6,500. However, conservation efforts have, over time, borne some fruit. Human beings are to blame for this kind of collapse. In about 30 years, we crashed to less than 400 in Kenya and less than 4,000 in Africa. ![]() Equally, in Kenya, for the same period, we had 20,000. "In Africa, back in the 1970s, we had 65,000 rhinos roaming freely. On the black market, a rhino horn can fetch up to $60,000 per kilogram. Nowadays, the demand for rhino horn predominantly emanates from Asia and the Middle East, where it's falsely believed to possess medicinal properties, or is used for ornamental dagger handles. Historically, early settlers in eastern and southern Africa hunted rhinos for sport and sustenance. "The black rhino, in this country, continues to face serious challenges, (the) majority being threat from rhino poaching, lack of secure habitats that are necessary to reintroduce rhino populations that are growing within the areas that (where) we currently have sanctuaries," says Samuel Mutisya, head of research and species conservation at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which claims to be the largest black rhino sanctuary in East and Central Africa. In this 90,000-acre (36,000-hectare) conservancy, the animals are protected from their biggest threat: poaching. The species is "critically endangered" on IUCN's Red List, and is considered to be on the brink of extinction.Īccording to IUCN's last assessment in 2020, there were just over 3,100 black rhinos in the world. The only other perissodactyls on earth today are horses, zebras, and donkeys (all belonging to genus Equus), and the strange, pig-like mammals known as tapirs. Rhinoceroses are characterized by their large sizes, quadrupedal postures, and single or double horns on the ends of their snouts-the name rhinoceros is Greek for "nose horn." These horns probably evolved as a sexually selected characteristic-that is, males with bigger, more prominent horns were more successful with females during mating season.At Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, 169 black rhinoceros are looked after. Rhinoceroses are perissodactyls, or odd-toed ungulates, a family of mammals characterized by their herbivorous diets, relatively simple stomachs, and an odd number of toes on their feet (one or three). Habitat: Subharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinentĬonservation Status: Three species are Critically Endangered (Javan, Sumatran, black), one is Vulnerable (Indian), one is Near Threatened (white) Description ![]() Size: 4–15 feet tall, 7–15 feet long, depending on species sondaicos, Dicerorhinus sumatrensisĬommon Name: White, Black, Indian, Javan, Sumatran Scientific Name: Five species are Ceratotherium simum, Diceros bicornis, Rhinoceros unicornis, R. ![]()
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