Late last year, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) completed a five-day translocation operation moving three southern white rhinos – two females from Lake Nakuru National Park and one male from Meru National Park – to the Mt Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (MKWC). The move establishes MKWC as Kenya’s 20th rhino sanctuary.
The initiative aligns with the KWS 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, which prioritises securing additional conservation spaces and accelerating national rhino population recovery. The Mt Kenya ecosystem once held Kenya’s largest rhino population in the 1970s before numbers declined sharply through the early 1980s. The last rhinos were lost by 2011.
After nearly 15 years without rhinos in the landscape, KWS conducted a two-year assessment to determine MKWC’s suitability to host the species again. The positive results informed extensive planning that led to the recent move. Restoring rhinos to this area is considered vital to rebuilding its ecological integrity and historical significance.
The translocation was implemented as a joint, science-based operation between KWS and MKWC.
The operation also served as a benchmarking opportunity for the Uganda Wildlife Authority team, which observed the capture process. Techniques demonstrated included chemical immobilisation and helicopter darting to guide the rhinos into safe, open areas for handling and loading.
