Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
Rare black rhinos to get insurance to boost numbers
Share:
by amyjudd | May 12, 2009 at 02:01 pm
76 views | 12 Recommendations | 0 comments
Videos
Critically Endangered Black Rhinos at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Kent
sourced by amyjudd
The very rare black African Rhino species could be getting a form of insurance as Keny and Tanzania are thinking about relocating them into neighbouring countries in an effort to increase their numbers and boost tourism in the region. As part of the program, the rhinos will get insurance against poaching and hunting so that they will be given the best chance of survival.
About 603 of the 709 rhinos in eastern Africa live in Kenya, but if some are moved to Burundi, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda, they have a better chance of survival. Tanzania has the other rhino numbers.
"If you have them (the rhinos) in one basket, for example, when a disease strikes or there is political instability in one country then you can loss them all," said Benson Okita, a senior scientist with the Kenya Wildlife Service. "If you spread them across the region then when something happens then you have a chance of rebreeding and increasing the population."
The countries want to boost their numbers to 3,000 by 2039. This was decided after a one day meeting in Nairobi on Monday, and further meetings will need to be held to decide the details.
Moving the rhinos around is difficult because they weigh so much and there is a large distance to be covered. It is also expensive and the six countries have to pool their money together in order to fund the program. The countries are also thinking about an animal swap, where some animals are transferred in exchange for the rhinos.
"We are reducing our risk and we are spreading our risk. When you do this, you have a high chance of success," Okita told The Associated Press.
The rare black rhino is only found in eastern and southern Africa, and although it is actually gray in colour, it looks black from far away.
Its numbers have been decimated by poaching, as they used to number in the 65,000s.
There are only 3,600 of them left now in Southern Africa.
Comments (0)