Over the years, Kenya’s black rhino population has risen, standing at 1,004 in 2023. The 90,000-acre Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia County is one of the largest black rhino sanctuaries in East Africa. Samuel Mutisya, the head of Research and Species Conservation at Ol Pejeta, says the rhinos are feeling the pressure: “Black rhinos in particular are very aggressive. An informed decision was made to translocate a total of 21 Eastern black rhinos from overcrowded sanctuaries — Nairobi National Park, Lewa and Ol Pejeta, to the new conservancy. For instance in 2018, eight endangered black rhinos died after being translocated from Nairobi National Park to Tsavo East National Park.
