By Domenica Dryer | Project Leader
Over the last few months, and with the investment from key individuals like you supporting Ol Pejeta's rhino conservation efforts, our teams have been incredibly busy with rhino protection and population management activities.
In the middle of February, Ol Pejeta's conservation team, alongside the Kenyan Wildlife Service, carried out an exercise that ear notched 39 rhinos (29 black and 10 white).
Ear notching is the process by which each rhino is allocated a permanent, unique identifier corresponding to special marks or cuts on its ears. These notches facilitate rapid identification and aids monitoring of rhinos on the Conservancy by our wildlife teams both in the field and in the office. This in turn enhances surveillance and security capabilities, further protecting the species against poachers.
Carried out over six days, the ear notching was led by the KWS and involved up to 25 highly trained and skilled individuals. The team was made up of veterinarians, researchers, rangers, logistics and more, highlighting that conservation is multi-disciplinary field with numerous different departments working together collectively to achieve the goal. We are grateful to all who were involved for their professionalism and skill in completing this acticity so successfully!
The eligibility for notching is dictated by whether the rhino is pregnant, their age (min. 3 years old) or if they have a young calf. The notching causes minimal pain to the rhinos and helps to keep them safe for a lifetime.
To date, Ol Pejeta has notched 75% of the entire rhino population on the Conservancy, well above the national recommendation of 60%. It is one of the many strategies that we have employed over the years which have led to Ol Pejeta becoming the largest black rhino sanctuary in east and central Africa with 168 black rhinos.
Together we are one team, and it is the combined effort of our global community and supporters, and those on the ground, that enables us to continue making strategic conservation decisions to protect these rhinos. Thank you for your contribution to this effort.
By Domenica Dryer | Project Leader
By Amber Thacker | Project Leader
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