One conservancy's fight to save the rhino

The story of Africa's black and white rhinoceroses is a sobering reminder of how devastating the practices of our own species can be for some of our fellow creatures. Over recent decades rhinos have been ruthlessly and illegally killed for their horns, which are believed by some traditional medicine systems to have therapeutic properties, despite the total absence of scientific evidence for this claim. The global black rhino population, for example, has fallen alarmingly from around 70000 in the late 1960s to 5000 today, a level which makes the species critically endangered.

One programme that is striving to help the black rhino and the southern white rhino is that which is being run at Lewa Downs Conservancy. Situated in northern Kenya, an important region for these species, Lewa is currently home to 65 black and 46 southern white rhinos. The conservation team here are committed to encouraging breeding amongst the population, monitoring the animals’ movements and behaviour, and to provide security from poachers.

Lewa’s conservation initiative has resulted in steady increases of the population under its care, with black rhino levels averaging growth of 10% per year since 2000. There is still a long way to go to increase groups to stable, self-sustaining levels. And the work of conservationists at Lewa and across Kenya and Africa more generally has been undermined by a concerning resurgence of poaching incidents in recent years. Nevertheless, the nine black rhino births which took place at the conservancy last year have been cause for celebration and optimism and are a testament to the concerted efforts its team continues to make in the face of environmental challenges and poaching.

White rhinos grazing

One of the ways in which Lewa Downs funds its conservation work is through fees from tourism. The area is a longstanding favourite for us at Africa House, appearing, for example, in the itinerary for our forthcoming Spring Break Safari. Our guests consistently enjoy the beautiful accommodation and amazing wildlife encounters on offer here. This combination of high-quality safaris with support for conservation for animals such as the iconic rhino truly embodies responsible tourism. Lewa Downs proves that tourism can be good for guests and good for wildlife, making it an organisation with which we are proud to be associated.