Kenyan wildlife conservationists are cheering as rhinos are being returned to a plateau upon which they were once wiped out decades ago.
The move of 21 black rhinos to their new dwelling will give them all the space they need to breed and create the next generation of black rhinos. The critically endangered species was the subject of Kenya's most extensive rhino relocation ever.
The rhinos were taken from three different parks on the verge of becoming overcrowded to a private conservancy in Loiaba, where herds were wiped out decades ago.
Returning After 50 Years
"It's been decades since rhinos roamed here, almost 50 years ago," said Loisaba security manager Daniel Ole Yiankere. "Their numbers were severely impacted by poaching. Now, our focus is on rejuvenating this landscape and allowing rhinos to breed, aiming to restore their population to its former splendor."
The challenge of moving 21 wild animals, some of which could weigh up to 3000 pounds, was an arduous exercise over 18 days. It involved tracking the animals using a helicopter and shooting with tranquilizer darts. They were then loaded into the back of a truck for the move.
One rhino almost suffered an unfortunate fate as it stumbled into a creek after being tranquilized. Rangers and veterinarians fought to hold the rhino's head above water with a rope to prevent it from drowning while the tranq reversal drug was administered to wake it up.
Some were transferred from Nairobi National Park, about 186 miles from their new habitat. Rhinos are solitary animals that enjoy open spaces and large territories to roam.
The decision was made to move them as numbers in the other parks they were in increased.
Why move them?
Experts believe the animals will be more likely to breed in this new environment with more resources and less competition, an expert on rhinos at the Kenya Wildlife Service, said their reproduction rates decrease when there are too many in a territory.
"By removing some animals, we expect that the rhino population in those areas will rise up," said rhino expert David Ndere. "And then we reintroduce that founder population of at least 20 animals into new areas."
The Loisaba Conservancy provides 96 square miles of space for the new arrivals, a mixture of males and females.
The rhino population was around 20,000 in the 1970s but dropped below 300 in the 1980s due to rampant poaching.
There are currently around 1,000 black rhinos in Kenya, which has the third largest population of the beasts in Africa, behind South Africa and Namibia.
According to the Save the Rhino organization, more than 6,400 black rhinos today exist.
