Rhino Protection

There are eight known critically-endangered Eastern black rhinoceros in Big Life’s area of operation. They spend most of their time in the densely-forested Chyulu Hills National Park, protected by dedicated Big Life rangers and the Kenya Wildlife Service.

In addition to monitoring and protecting the resident rhinos, Big Life has been working to improve infrastructure in the rhino area, the goal of which is to maintain Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ) status, which will allow for the future inbound translocation of rhinos from other territories. IPZ status is awarded by the Kenyan government for demonstrating that the area and the rhino population can be effectively protected. The infrastructure involved includes roads, fencing, and consistent water supply.

All anti-poaching and monitoring efforts are conducted in close collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Service. Specially-trained Big Life rangers use traditional tracking methods, camera traps, and live sightings to maintain an accurate record of all living rhinos in the rhino area, and raise red flags if a certain period of time elapses between recording specific individuals.

8 Rhinos
52 Rhino Protection Rangers
9 Dedicated Rhino Outposts
9 Dedicated Rhino Units
45 Camera Traps
3 Water Points