Safeguarding Ol Pejeta's Rhino Populations

Ol Pejeta's has used the time over the last few months to focus on planning, development, and training. In doing so, this allows the conservation department to upskill and be better prepared and equipped to plan, respond appropriately where needed and make strategic decisions for the long-term benefit of wildlife.

On the 15th of June 10 staff successfully completed their National Police Reservists (NPR) training at the County Government Enforcement Training School at Rumuruti. By gaining NPR status, Ol Pejeta's rangers are allowed to carry government-authorised firearms, after undergoing paramilitary training with a priority agenda to curb security challenges such as banditry, poaching, perennial human-wildlife conflict, illegal logging, and environmental degradation. For the individuals this is an incredible achievement. For Ol Pejeta this is noteworthy as it strengthens the operational capacity of our ranger force.

Dr Florence Kang'e, who joined OPC in January this year, received the necessary authorization from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) on the 24th of June to provide veterinary services to all wildlife, excluding endangered and threatened species. This is a huge win for wildlife, as it increases the capacity of our vet team (currently led by Dr. Stephen Ngulu), meaning more wildlife can be attended to, and wildlife interventions addressed.

Kenya is in the process of reviewing its rhino habitat suitability assessment protocols and ecological carrying capacity estimation models. Ol Pejeta conservation department participated in the discussions at a workshop held in Naivasha in May. A significant step was made in consolidating views from rhino conservation stakeholders toward updating these instruments. There are a series of other engagements before a final model is developed in the course of the year, however, Ol Pejeta will be among the first to deploy these new protocols and models in Kenya. This is exciting because this reaffirms our leadership position as an innovator of conservation technology at the forefront of rhino conservation strategies in Kenya.

Looking ahead: We are so excited to invite you to the annual Global Gala for Rhinos on Saturday the 30th of September. Hosted by our partners Helping Rhinos, the event will take place at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in London and will also be available for live streamline online.

The evening will take supporters and donors on a journey into the heart of groundbreaking rhino conservation, and features Ol Pejeta's Head of Conservation Samuel Mutisya who will be joining in London to speak to the efforts on Ol Pejeta. Grab you ticket through the link below and join us for an unforgettable evening! TICKETS HERE

Links:

• Tickets to the Global Gala for Rhinos!