Kenya seeks to relocate 21 black rhinos

Kenya is embarking on an effort to relocate 21 black rhinos from three national parks to a private conservancy in an effort to give the rhinos more space to roam and a better chance to breed. It’s a delicate operation. A previous attempt in 2018 resulted in the deaths of all 11 of the critically endangered rhinos.

Kenya Wildlife Service officials say the black rhinos (Diceros bicornis), which require large territories, face too much competition in the three parks. They are being moved to the Loisaba Conservancy, an area that once hosted a healthy rhino population.

Poaching drove Kenya’s black rhino population to fewer than 300 in the mid-1980s, but after efforts to protect the species, their numbers now reach nearly 1,000. Authorities hope to grow the population to about 2,000.