Research Summary
Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Nanyuki, Kenya — In the past 30 years, poaching has reduced Kenya's black rhinoceros population from 20,000 to a mere 400. Fenced-in, scout-patrolled sanctuaries like this 100-square-kilometer reserve have kept rhinos on the map, even bringing their number back to about 500. But in the wake of this success, new concerns have arisen: potential competition with giraffes and elephants, calf predation by hyenas and lions, even having too many rhinos in enclosed reserves. Only a close examination of interactions between these competing large mammals and the sanctuary's carrying capacity will preserve the last black rhinos. You will help Dr. Geoffrey Wahungu study the ecology and behavior of the black rhino in an enclosed savannah habitat.
Meet the Scientists
Geoffrey Wahungu
Department of Wildlife Management, Moi University, Kenya
This project was initiated in 1999 to address habitat issues pertinent to effective conservation and management of the black rhino population at Ol Pejeta and other Kenyan black rhino breeding sites. Already the project has resulted in a model for rational management of black rhinos currently being tried elsewhere in Kenya. But the "war" against rhino extinction is yet to be won, and the adoption of the Ol Pejeta model is still in its infancy. Your support of this project will go a long way toward the realization of this noble vision.