Last Month, Ol Pejeta carried out a major rhino ear notching exercise - marking 30 rhinos (26 black and 4 white rhino) all without incident.

Ear notching is the process by which each rhino is allocated a permanent, unique national identity number. This marked by special marks or cuts on its ears. These cuts/ marks facilitate rapid identification and eases monitoring of rhinos on the Conservancy by our wildlife teams. To be able to notch a rhino, the rhino has to be immobilized from an aircraft after which ground teams move in to etch the marks on the rhino’s ears. After the notches are done, the rhino is then given an antidote to enable it to regain consciousness. On Ol Pejeta, we have a strict policy that every rhino has to be spotted after at least 3 days and the notches are key identifiers used to ensure this objective is met.

The notching doesn't hurt the rhinos for very long after its done, and helps to keep them safe for a lifetime

Due to the significant costs involved in notching, we usually carry out this process at least once every two years. This interval allows the number of  ”clean rhinos” - rhinos that have not been notched - to increase so as to enable them to be notched within a specific timeframe at once. Rhinos are only notched after reaching at least 2 and a half years. This ensures that they are mature sub-adults that can withstand the notching process without complications.

A KWS chopper in pursuit of a rhino to be notched.

WIth funding and generous support from AWF (African Wildlife Foundation) and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), the rhino notching exercise was carried out in collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife service, led by their rhino Capture Manager, Linus Kariuki.  Throughout the week-long exercise, Ol Pejeta and Kenya Wildlife Service wildlife and veterinary teams worked hand in hand, ensuring the completion of the exercise without any rhino mortality cases.

A tranquilized rhino about to be notched

Rhino notching is a key pillar in the protection and management of rhinos on Ol Pejeta.  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 Africa with 107 black rhino.

Learn more about the rhinos on Ol Pejeta here.