Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya

Project leader: Benson Okita, Rhino Coordinator
Project partner: Kenya Wildlife Service, Zoological Society of London
Funding partner: EAZA Rhino Campaign

Between May 2006 and June 2007, the EAZA Rhino Campaign made grants totalling £17,284 to the Kenya Wildlife Service, to enable it to buy cameras, binoculars and GPSs for use by the rhino monitoring teams in six National Parks.

The main aim of this project was to improve rhino monitoring activities in six KWS national parks by providing essential monitoring equipment and training of field staff in their use, thereby enhancing the quality and accuracy of the data input to the management decision-making process. By re-equipping Parks staff with digital cameras, GPS receivers and binoculars, and by training the staff in the use and maintenance of equipment, the following objectives were to be achieved:

• The use of digital cameras with good optical zoom will allow high quality master ID files to be created, thus enabling rhino sightings to be correctly classified
• High-resolution binoculars will enable field ranger to identify and monitor the status (e.g. body condition) of rhinos
• GPS receivers will provide accurate positional information of rhino, patrol movements and other relevant sightings. This information is essential for efficient deployment of patrols and calculations of home ranges etc
• Effective deployment of patrols: Rhino distributions and patrol effort obtained through analyses of GPS locations will enable effective deployment of patrols
• Data quality control: High quality master ID files will allow correct classification of sighting records
• Effective assessment of population status: Good quality monitoring data will provide reliable estimates of population status. For example, the use of binoculars and cameras will assist in ageing, sexing and identifying rhinos
• Assisting in making translocation decisions: The conservation strategy adopted in Kenya requires rhinos to be translocated to restock existing sanctuaries and create new ones. Accurate population estimates and performance indicators such as inter-calving intervals are needed to make informed decisions on translocations and in selecting the most suitable candidates in order to maintain genetic diversity and demographic stability
• Helping in carrying capacity analysis: Detailed information gathered by use of GPS over time on adult male rhino home ranges, browse availability etc. will assist in estimating the ecological carrying capacity of closed (partially or completely fenced) sanctuaries
• The provision of good quality equipment along with training will also lead to enhancement in staff morale. Field monitoring staff will feel empowered as primary data gatherers and as part of the decision making process.

The project achieved more than expected. Originally the equipment was to be distributed to six rhino conservation areas, but since the costs were lower at the time of purchase, it was possible to purchase extra equipment (GPS and binoculars) to benefit other rhino conservation areas which were originally not in the list: Tsavo West (Intensive Protection Zone), Tsavo East National Parks, Solio Ranch, Laikipia Conservancy, KWS Laikipia research station and KWS Headquarters’ rhino research team also benefited.

The arrival of the equipment was timely in that KWS ear-notched 44 black rhinos for individual rhino identification in Ngulia Rhino sanctuary and Nairobi National Park in February 2008. A further  20 black rhinos in Lake Nakuru National Park were ear-notched in March 2008. The equipment, especially the binoculars, greatly assisted in positive identification of the animals and led to a better knowledge of population performance and estimation of rhino numbers.

KWS wishes to thank EAZA and all the partners including Save the Rhino International and Zoological Society of London for its support and partnership in this project.