MAAC FUNDS RHINO NOTCHING MISSION

LEWA WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY, ALONG WITH ITS NEIGHBOURING CONSERVANCY BORANA, CURRENTLY HOST 15% OF THE RHINOS LEFT IN KENYA.

To help protect these valuable populations, MAAC has taken action to address poaching threats on Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (LWC). LWC is an organization with a long history of success in protecting both black and white rhinos in the Meru and Laikipia regions of Kenya. Lewa is also home to other iconic species such as the reticulated giraffe, the elephant and the endangered Grevy’s zebra. Along with its highly effective anti-poaching units and land management, LWC works closely with surrounding communities to build relationships and ensure the protection of shared resources.

In July 2017, MAAC’s Jonny White traveled to Kenya to visit Lewa. He joined local veterinarians and LWC staff on an expedition to ear notch a white rhino. Ear-notching is one of several different methods that trackers use to identify individual rhinos on the conservancy. These operations are carried out to help track and monitor the movements, interactions, health and safety of all individuals within key populations. With a top-notch research team and stellar wildlife conservation and security team, LWC has not lost a rhino for 4 years, yet the field rangers continue to face daily threats.

Poaching and habitat loss are the most serious threats to the rhinoceros. The demand for rhino horn in Asia and beyond continue to threaten the species. Both white and black rhino are at risk from the international market demands. In the 1990s, only 2,500 black rhinos were counted in the whole of Africa, with 400 of them in Kenya. Thanks to intensive conservation efforts and management by organizations such as LWC, the population is slowly recovering and there are more than 600 black rhinos in Kenya today.

Learn more about the effective work being done to preserve wildlife populations on Lewa Wildlife Conservancy here >                        www.lewa.org