A critically endangered black rhino has been born in Kenya's Chyulu Hills National Park. This marks the second such calf in less than two years. The Big Life Foundation confirmed the birth, highlighting ongoing conservation efforts against poaching.
Kenya continues to celebrate its wildlife conservation efforts following the birth of a black rhino in Chyulu Hills National Park a few days ago. The Big Life Foundation confirmed the news, noting this as the second such calf born in Kenya in less than two years.
"We are thrilled to announce that our rangers have recorded a rhino calf born in the Chyulu Hills, the second in less than two years," Big Life said in a statement.
The birth raises the population of Eastern black rhinos to nine in the park, which once hosted the densest population of black rhinos in East Africa. The new calf was discovered when one of the Big Life Foundation's 63 rangers patrolling the area spotted tiny, three-toed footprints following larger ones on a trail through thick bush, indicating a new rhino calf.
Upon finding the footprints, the rangers suspected the mother was Namunyak, a 14-year-old female rhino who had been absent from trail cameras for months. She was later spotted on one of the 42 camera traps with her little calf, confirming that her absence meant she was pregnant or nesting post-pregnancy.
The exact birth date remains unknown, though it occurred sometime within the past six months. Its sex is also undetermined. "Rhino calves are extremely vulnerable when they are young, and so we are cautious about announcing births prematurely," the statement read. "Now that it has survived the first 6 months, its chance of survival increases every day. If all goes well, this calf could live until 2065."
This achievement could be miraculous, as the species faces extinction due to poaching, though the foundation expressed commitment to ongoing conservation in the area, aiming to restore Chyulu Hills as one of East Africa’s densest rhino populations. Currently, only 6,800 black rhinos remain across Africa, with just 900 of the Eastern subspecies native to Kenya, Tanzania, and South Sudan. This makes every birth a crucial victory in the long battle against extinction.