• Technology has helped reduce rhino poaching in Kenya to as little as zero in 2020
• They have multiplied from less than 400 rhinos in 1989 to 1,890 by the end of 2022
Image: BILLY DODSON
Kenya on Sunday touted the quadrupling of rhinos in three decades locally as it joined the world in marking World Rhino Day.
Marked at Sereolipi Primary School in Samburu county, the day celebrates all five species of rhino: black, white, greater one-horned, Sumatran and Javan.
Tourism and Wildlife CS Rebecca Miano said recovery plans have helped rhino populations regenerate by more than 100 per cent.
“From a population of less than 400 in 1989, today we estimate the population to stand at a staggering 1,890 rhinos by the end of 2022,” she said.
This comprises 966 black, 922 white and two northern whites.
World Rhino Day raises awareness about rhino conservation and the threats they face. This year’s World Rhino Day theme is “Keep the Five Alive”.
Kenya is an important habitat for rhinos, hosting 80 per cent of the eastern black rhino subspecies distributed across eight national parks.
These are Masai Mara Game Reserve, Sera Community Conservancy and five private sanctuaries within the Laikipia region.
Laikipia is home to more than half of Kenya's total rhino population.
Miano said besides being a key tourist attraction, rhinos help support communities involved in conservation.
She said the state has developed laws and policies that favour the quest to secure wildlife resources for current and future generations.
“This includes domesticating Multilateral Environmental Agreements, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora,” Miano said.
The CS said Kenya’s black rhino population is ranked third after South Africa and Namibia.
She said Kenya’s rhino population will likely exceed the 2022 numbers once the ongoing national wildlife census is concluded.
Miano said Kenya is proud to host the world’s only remaining female Northern white rhino following the death of Sudan in 2018, whose stuffed figure is domiciled at the Nairobi National Museums as an enduring relic and iconic freak of nature of our wildlife species.
Miano said she is glad that the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, together with other researchers around the world, is working to bring the northern white rhino back from extinction.
“This daring and truly commendable act, akin to reversing fate, hopes to produce northern white rhino embryos from genetic material and eventually implanting them in southern white rhino females to produce calves,” she said.
Miano said the success of this path-breaking venture will yield hope to the conservation fraternity and put Kenya at the forecourt of wildlife guardianship globally.
She said novel technologies, such as the use of drones and forensic evidence, have been adopted as part of rhino management and conservation efforts.
“Besides, we have allocated resources to support the recruitment of additional law enforcement officers,” she said.
“This will contribute significantly to our efforts to save the remaining rhino populations and other wildlife for posterity.”
Meanwhile, Kenya's efforts to combat poaching of the endangered black rhino have taken a significant step with the installation of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered night cameras in some important wildlife sanctuaries in the country.
The introduction of this advanced technology further enhances the protection of rhinos, complementing the crucial work of rangers who patrol challenging park terrain and weather conditions to safeguard these iconic animals.
Tech solutions like AI cameras are proving pivotal in the country's conservation efforts, enabling more efficient monitoring and rapid response to potential poaching incidents.
Kenya Wildlife Service director general Dr Erustus Kanga terms this technology a game-changer. He says it is empowering park rangers and giving rhinos a fighting chance.
With support from the US State Department and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has installed the Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) thermal cameras in three black rhino sites, namely Solio Game Reserve, Lake Nakuru National Park and Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
While the threat of rhino poaching in Kenya persists, it has recently reduced significantly, even reaching zero in 2020.
Experts attribute this milestone to the use of technology.
Geoffrey Chege, Black Rhino programme officer, WWF-Kenya,said the AI-enabled FLIR cameras have inbuilt analytics that send out automated alerts every time they detect an intrusion from humans, vehicles or wildlife.
“This is one of the ways of equipping rangers with modern technology so that they can protect rhinos,” he said during the handing over ceremony at Solio Game Reserve.
The sanctuary hosts more than 30 per cent of Kenya’s total rhino population.
Solio Game Reserve has been one of the most successful rhino sites, providing the founder population to more than 90 per cent of all rhino sites in Kenya.
Despite these successes, Solio has witnessed high poaching rates in the past.
The idea is to minimise intrusion, including poachers, said Mohamed Awer, chief executive of WWF-Kenya, adding that the strategy is to use technology to complement the good work done by rangers.
The FLIR cameras also protect the lives of rangers by providing crucial information about intruders’ locations, minimising the amount of time it takes to respond to alerts.
Kevin Carr-Hartley, manager of Solio Game Reserve, said the rhino sanctuary has the highest density of black rhinos in East Africa.
“Rangers are the most important people. They are on the frontline and we have to give them the technology that potential poachers might have,” he said.
“We have to be better and keep improving technology like the FLIR cameras.”