Kenya Moving Rhinos to New Home
2024-01-28
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1Kenya began its biggest rhino relocation project earlier this month.
2Workers began the difficult work of moving 21 of the endangered animals to a new home.
3They each weigh around one metric ton.
4A previous attempt at moving rhinos in the East African nation was a disaster in 2018.
5All 11 of the animals died.
6The latest project experienced early troubles.
7A rhino targeted for moving was successfully hit with a tranquilizer shot from a helicopter but ended up in a creek.
8Veterinarians and park rangers held the rhino's head above water with a rope to save it while a tranquilizer reversal drug took effect.
9It was then released.
10Wildlife officials have said that the difficult project will take time, likely weeks.
11The black rhinos are a mix of males and females.
12They are being moved from three conservation parks to the private Loisaba Conservancy in central Kenya, the Kenya Wildlife Service said.
13They are being moved because there are too many in the three parks.
14They need more space to roam and, hopefully, to breed.
15Rhinos generally spend time alone and are at their happiest in large territories.
16Kenya has had some success in saving its black rhino population.
17In the mid-1980s the rhino population fell below 300 because of poaching, raising fears that the animals might go extinct in a country famous for its wildlife.
18Kenya now has nearly 1,000 black rhinos, says the wildlife service.
19That is the third biggest black rhino population in the world behind South Africa and Namibia.
20There are just 6,487 wild rhinos left in the world, says rhino conservation group Save The Rhino. All live in Africa.
21Kenyan officials say they have relocated more than 150 rhinos in the last 10 years or so.
22Six years ago, Kenya moved 11 rhinos from the capital, Nairobi, to another sanctuary in the south of the country.
23All died soon after arriving at the sanctuary.
24Ten of them died from stress, lack of water and starvation, which was worsened by salt poisoning as they struggled with saltier water in their new home, investigations found.
25The other rhino was attacked by a lion.
26Some of the 21 rhinos in the latest relocation are from Nairobi National Park.
27They will make a 300-kilometer trip in the back of a truck to Loisaba. Others will come from parks closer to Loisaba.
28Loisaba was once home to a healthy black rhino population before they were wiped out in that area 50 years ago, said Loisaba Conservancy CEO Tom Silvester.
29Kenyan wildlife officials say the country is aiming to grow its black rhino population to about 2,000.
30They believe 2,000 would be the best number considering the space available for them in national and private parks.
31I'm Dan Novak.
1Kenya began its biggest rhino relocation project earlier this month. Workers began the difficult work of moving 21 of the endangered animals to a new home. They each weigh around one metric ton. 2A previous attempt at moving rhinos in the East African nation was a disaster in 2018. All 11 of the animals died. 3The latest project experienced early troubles. A rhino targeted for moving was successfully hit with a tranquilizer shot from a helicopter but ended up in a creek. Veterinarians and park rangers held the rhino's head above water with a rope to save it while a tranquilizer reversal drug took effect. It was then released. 4Wildlife officials have said that the difficult project will take time, likely weeks. 5The black rhinos are a mix of males and females. They are being moved from three conservation parks to the private Loisaba Conservancy in central Kenya, the Kenya Wildlife Service said. They are being moved because there are too many in the three parks. They need more space to roam and, hopefully, to breed. 6Rhinos generally spend time alone and are at their happiest in large territories. 7Kenya has had some success in saving its black rhino population. In the mid-1980s the rhino population fell below 300 because of poaching, raising fears that the animals might go extinct in a country famous for its wildlife. 8Kenya now has nearly 1,000 black rhinos, says the wildlife service. That is the third biggest black rhino population in the world behind South Africa and Namibia. 9There are just 6,487 wild rhinos left in the world, says rhino conservation group Save The Rhino. All live in Africa. 10Kenyan officials say they have relocated more than 150 rhinos in the last 10 years or so. 11Six years ago, Kenya moved 11 rhinos from the capital, Nairobi, to another sanctuary in the south of the country. All died soon after arriving at the sanctuary. Ten of them died from stress, lack of water and starvation, which was worsened by salt poisoning as they struggled with saltier water in their new home, investigations found. The other rhino was attacked by a lion. 12Some of the 21 rhinos in the latest relocation are from Nairobi National Park. They will make a 300-kilometer trip in the back of a truck to Loisaba. Others will come from parks closer to Loisaba. 13Loisaba was once home to a healthy black rhino population before they were wiped out in that area 50 years ago, said Loisaba Conservancy CEO Tom Silvester. 14Kenyan wildlife officials say the country is aiming to grow its black rhino population to about 2,000. They believe 2,000 would be the best number considering the space available for them in national and private parks. 15I'm Dan Novak. 16Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 17_______________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19relocation - v. to move to a new place 20endanger - v. to cause to be in a dangerous place or situation 21tranquilizer - n. a drug that causes a person or animal to become very relaxed and calm 22reverse - v. to change to an opposite state or condition 23roam - v. to go to different places without having a particular purpose or plan 24poach - v. to catch or kill an animal illegally 25extinct - adj. no longer existing 26sanctuary - n. a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter 27stress - n. something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety