The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is thrilled to announce the births of two black rhino calves on the conservancy which occurred within a period of eight days of each other in January!

The first calf, born to 12 year old Roberta, was discovered on the 4th of January, just moments after birth. This is Roberta’s first calf, at a relatively late age as black rhinos are known to typically start calving between the age of 5 to 7 years. Roberta was born on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in 1996 to Saba, a female from Solio who had been translocated to Ol Pejeta in 1990.

The second of the new calves, born to Cathy, was sighted on the 16th of January, and was believed to be about 3 days old. This is also Cathy’s first calving, at a typical 6 1/2 years of age. Cathy was also born on the Conservancy in 2002 to Tulivu, who had similarly been translocated from Solio in 1990.

The two new calves are yet to be sexed and named. Their births give a sense of déjà vu as they closely replay those of the within a week of each other in December 2007! The two one year olds continue to do well.

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is East Africa’s Largest Black Rhino Sanctuary. While the two new births brought the Conservancy’s population to 80, we sadly lost one male, Jama, to old-age related complications on the 21st of January, bringing the number down to 79.

Black rhinos are officially listed among the world’s Critically Endangered Species, having been pushed to the brink of extinction by illegal poaching for their horn and by loss of habitat, factors that collectively saw a steep 96% decline in their global population between 1970 and 1996! Less than 4000 individuals remain in the wild today.

Maintaining a safe environment for black rhinos is a complicated and expensive endeavour. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy needs your support to keep our rhinos safe and to continue our rhino programme. You can donate online at http://awf.org/section/engaging_you/ol_pejeta/ol_pejeta_rhino/ .
Please note that online donations to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy are done via the African Wildlife Foundation's website, one of our conservation partners. However, you can be sure that your donation goes directly towards the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.