Black Rhinos to be marked and fitted with tracking devices

[ [Latest News] ] [ View Archives ]

Black Rhino

Kenya Wildlife Service scientists will next week mark the ears of black rhinos and fit them with tracking gadgets. The operation, supported by the Narok County Council and the Frankfurt Zoological Society, will take place from June 7th to 12th  2010 at the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The exercise, estimated to cost Sh3 million, will be pivotal in tracking and monitoring the rhino movements between the Maasai Mara and Serengeti National Reserves.
The annual exercise, conducted on a rotational basis between the 14 rhino sanctuaries countrywide, has not only been successful but has also seen the sudden increase in black rhino populations over the years. Conservationists believe the initiative will go a long way in increasing the population of the black rhinos. The black rhino population stood at 635 last year despite the rising incidents of poaching which pose a major challenge to conservationists.