The birth of a rare Eastern Black Rhino at Yorkshire Wildlife Park has been the catalyst for our fund-raising campaign to save this endangered species.
When baby Rocco arrived, it was a significant moment in the European breeding programme for his kind, whose numbers have dropped to 6,100 in the wild. His birth sparked awareness about their plight, and in his honour, we have created an appeal to provide vital funding for conservation projects in Africa.
Ol Jogi Conservancy, established in 1980, is one of the oldest conservancies in the Laikipia region in Kenya. What started with just four black rhinos and six white rhinos has grown substantially over the years.
The conservancy has become a stronghold for the Eastern Black Rhino subspecies. The programme there has proven to be one of the most successful Rhino breeding programmes in Kenya and has contributed many Rhinos to the overall national population, helping to restock areas where Rhino numbers were dwindling.
Today, with a much larger Rhino population than before, Ol Jogi shows what can be achieved through effective law enforcement, anti-poaching measures, monitoring, biological management, and a deep passion to preserve one of the most iconic species on Earth.
Remarkably, NO Rhinos were killed at Ol Jogi in 2023.
All funds raised will support the team at the Ol Jogi Conservancy, in Kenya, which operates across 58,000 acres providing a safe habitat for indigenous and critically endangered species.
It is home to a healthy population of 100 Rhinos and runs an influential breeding programme as the species continues to face poaching threats, which devastated its numbers from 70,000 in the wild in 1970.
They recently saved Rhino calf, Bella who had had been abandoned by her mother then attacked by predators. Bella remained in critical condition for many months, but made a full recovery and has now grown into a 226kg, healthy one-year-old who rangers hope to reintegrate into the wild population in two years’ time.