On June 15th, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy welcomed a new 3.1  year old female black rhino named Lola, bringing the total number of black rhinos on the Conservancy to 86 - still the Largest Black Rhino Sanctuary in East Africa. Lola – who had been hand-reared by the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy staff and recently released in the wild – was fighting with a dominant male black rhino and was in serious danger of getting killed. Knowing they had to find her a new home, the Lewa team called Ol Pejeta for help and decided to transfer her into the safety of the northern white rhino enclosure on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

Lola is being darted on the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and will be taken to the safety of the northern white rhino enclosure on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Lola was born to a female rhino called Mawingo, over three years ago, on the Lewa Wildlife conservancy. Mawingo is a bit of a celebrity on Lewa because she is known as the “blind rhino”. Rhinos already have poor eyesight, but Mawingo is almost completely blind. Unfortunately, this has cause Mawingo to lose her calves a few days after she gives birth. Every time a calf is born, the Lewa team has to monitor the pair very closely and usually has to go rescue the calf and hand-rear it. Lola is Mawingo’s sixth calf and was lost when she was about two weeks old. It took the team on Lewa two days to find Lola in the thick bush and rescue her.

So for the last three years, Lola has been hand-reared, alongside her brother Elvis who is now 4.7 years old. The two occupied the central part of Lewa, and were always with their keeper. Initially, they spent the nights in a boma, and later on began spending nights next to the keeper’s house. About six months ago, it was agreed that Lola and Elvis needed to be re-introduced to the wild. The need to reduce human contact was evident. Thus, they were released from the boma and were roaming within the central part of Lewa – near the Headquarters – day and night, without their keeper’s assistance. Because this area falls within the territory of a dominant male black rhino called Ibong, Lola got herself into trouble. She is too young to mate and Ibong was chasing her out of his territory and almost killed her twice. It was only a matter of time.

It was then decided to move Lola, and to do it quickly. In collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Ol Pejeta sent the new capture truck and a team to Lewa to help dart and capture Lola and moved her to the safety of the northern white rhino enclosure on the Conservancy. Lola is making friends with some of the southern white rhino females and will soon be joined by an orphaned black rhino female called Naboru who is 18 months old. In a few years, probably two to three, Lola will be released in the wild to mingle with the rest of the Ol Pejeta’s black rhino, thus contributing to the breeding programme.

Lola in her new home on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. She is doing extremely well and has made friends with the rangers and some of the southern white rhino females. She will soon be joined by an orphaned 18 months female black rhino called Naboru.

Lola’s story is a testament to the fact that Ol Pejeta continues to serve as the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa not only for its own population, but for the rest of the country's. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy continues to play a more important role in making sure black rhinos thrive in Kenya.  If you would like to help us continue to play this role, please support us by making an online donation.