KWS launches largest black rhino ear‑notching operation at Tsavo
Kenya Wildlife Service has launched a 15‑day ear‑notching and tagging operation at Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, Tsavo West National Park, described as the largest single exercise of its kind in Kenya. Led by Dr Isaac Lekolool, Senior Assistant Director, Veterinary and Capture Services, the programme will notch and fit more than 100 black rhinos with roller ear tags and transmitters to strengthen monitoring, security and data accuracy – key to long‑term species recovery.
Black rhino numbers in Kenya fell from around 20,000 in the 1960s to fewer than 400 by 1990 amid poaching, while Africa‑wide totals dropped from an estimated 65,000 in 1970 to under 2,500 by 1992. Sustained conservation has lifted Kenya’s population to 1,004, though illegal horn demand driven by organised crime remains the primary threat. Enhanced protection in Tsavo – one of East Africa’s flagship parks – underpins biodiversity conservation and supports the reliability of wildlife viewing that is vital to tourism and local livelihoods.
Source: The Star
