The death of rhinos is a blow to conservation: agencies :: Kenya

Wildlife advocates have described the death of eight rhinos from Tsavo National Park as a disadvantage to the conservation of endangered animals.

The eight black rhinos were moved to Tsavo National Park from Nakuru and Nairobi National Parks earlier this month.

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Environmental advocates say deaths have dealt a blow to slowly growing populations after 35 years of concerted efforts.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) attributed the deaths to salt poisoning by water.

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) CEO Mohamed Awer said in a statement that the organization had been devastated by the news that the transfer, funded in part by the organization, had resulted in the death of many endangered rhinos.

"Transplanting wild animals of this size is a complex and difficult undertaking, and not without risk. However, range-expansion projects to increase the number of black rhinos are a cornerstone of conservation efforts, which means that translocation is crucial for future generations, "writes M. Awer

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He said that the organization would work with KWS to investigate the circumstances surrounding rhinoceros death.

In March of this year, WWF announced that the number of black rhinos had doubled – a first in 35 years after increased conservation.

"The black rhino suffered a catastrophic decline of 98% in Kenya, whose population dropped from 20,000 in the 1970s to about 350 in 1983. The curve has now returned and the population is 750 in 2018 ".

The conservation of black rhinos began in the early 1980s when they were confined to protected areas to keep them away from poachers.

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According to the International Union for Conservation and Nature, black rhinos are clbadified as critically endangered, which means that they are still faced with a high risk of extinction in nature.

Another organization, Save The Rhino, in a statement described the death of the eight rhinos as tragic, saying that this should inspire more conservation efforts.

"Unfortunately, eight black rhinos died as a result of a translocation that hoped to see 14 new animals in Tsavo East National Park.This tragic situation underscores the importance of conservation of this species, which has only 5,500 individuals, "said the organization.

The number of black rhinos declined sharply in the 1980s due to poaching attributed to the demand for rhinoceros horn in Asian countries.

"Generally, rhinos are the most watched animals not only in the country but also all over the world, from private conservatories to rhinoceros sanctuaries and national parks, they remain iconic and symbolic animals", said Samuel Mutisya. Pejeta Conservancy Chief of Wildlife.

Kenya is one of the leading countries in Africa that has managed to reduce poaching activities to less than 1%. This is attributed to anti-poaching laws and trophy hunting, strict security in rhinoceros sanctuaries as well as political will.

Rhino population

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The country has the third largest rhinoceros population at 1,200, after South Africa and Namibia.

Wildlife Direct has described deaths as an important conservation reversal.

"This is surprising because the Kenya Wildlife Service has already conducted many large-scale rhino translocation operations.We have never seen such huge losses.More than 50% of the displaced people have died ! ", Said Pauline Kahumbu, General Manager of Wildlife Direct.

Ms. Kahumbu stated that the translocation could only be described as a complete disaster and asked for badurances that best practices for wildlife transfer would be adopted in the future to prevent more deaths.

"Moving rhinos is complicated and risky, like moving gold bullion, it takes extremely careful planning because of the value of these rare animals. I dread to think of the sufferings endured by these poor animals before their death. We need to know what has not worked so that it never happens again, "she added.