Safeguarding the vulnerable
The black rhino (Diceros bicornis) is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). There are three subspecies of the black rhino, the eastern, the southern, and the southwestern, with Ol Pejeta being home to the eastern rhino subspecies. According to IUCN, the black rhino population declined by a staggering 97.6% from 1960 to the 1990s, primarily as a result of poaching. In 1993, there were estimated to be just 2,300 black rhinos living in the wild, however thanks to conservation efforts across Kenya and southern Africa, populations have risen to over 6,000 as of 2022, an average upwards trend of 17% increase in population size over the past decade. The populations of black rhinos have seen improvements in numbers across all three subspecies, with the largest increases in populations seen by the eastern black rhino over the past decade, averaging 30-40% population increases, here on Ol Pejeta we hope to keep this number rising; With a population of over 165 eastern black rhinos, we are the largest black rhino sanctuary in East and Central Africa.
Fancy selling your fingernails?
When early settlers came to eastern and southern Africa, rhinos were hunted for sport and meat. Today the demand comes from Asia and the Middle East, where rhino horn is falsely considered to have medicinal properties and is used to make ornamental dagger handles. A kilo of rhino horn can fetch up to US$60,000 on the black market. Ironically, rhino horn is just made of the same substance as human fingernails – keratin.
Tell me something good
On-going efforts by Ol Pejeta and similar organisations across Africa are slowly but surely helping black rhino populations increase. Ol Pejeta had 20 black rhinos in 1993, and successful breeding combined with tough anti-poaching operations allowed this number to flourish to over 165 today.
Did you know?
Adult male black rhinos weigh up to 1,350 kg and females up to 900 kg.
There are so many differences between the black rhino and the white rhino such as their size, however, there is actually no colour difference between them at all! in fact, the name ‘white rhino’ came from the Afrikaans word ‘wyd’, meaning wide in reference to the white rhino’s square shaped upper lip. It wasn’t until early English settlers arrived in Africa that the name changed to white due to a misinterpretation of the word. Other differences between the two species are the shape of their top lips; black rhinos have a V-shaped hooked lip to browse shrubs – and prefer thick bush habitat to their square-jawed, grazing counterparts. Black rhinos are also generally more solitary and shyer than the white rhino, and have a reputation for being more aggressive too!