Nairobi — The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has commenced a 15-day ear-notching and tagging campaign at Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary and Tsavo West National Park set to have over 100 black rhinos targeted.
The agency said in a statement on Tuesday 100 black rhinos will be fitted with LoRaWAN eartags and VHF transmitters over a 15-day period to enhance monitoring, security, and population management.
The campaign, supported by partners under the Kenya Rhino Range Expansion (KRRE) initiative, is the country's largest single rhino ear-notching and tagging operation.
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KWS Senior Assistant Director for Veterinary and Capture Services, Dr. Isaac Lekolool, said the operation demonstrates KWS's technical and logistical capacity for large-scale wildlife interventions and underscores its commitment to science-based conservation.
The initiative comes as Kenya celebrates a remarkable rebound in its black rhino population.
The 2021 national wildlife census recorded 897 black rhinos in the country, up from a low of 381 in 1990 following decades of rampant poaching.
By 2024, Kenya's black rhino population surpassed 1,000, a milestone hailed as a global conservation success.
With the population growing, authorities have identified overcrowding and territorial conflicts in existing sanctuaries as emerging challenges.
Restoration efforts
In response, the Kenya Rhino Range Expansion Initiative seeks to restore rhinos across their historic range, creating connected habitats in Tsavo and Central Kenya and establishing one of the world's largest rhino habitats -- over 34,000 km², nearly six percent of Kenya's landmass.
KWS Director General Prof. Erustus Kanga said the initiative will transform Kenya's ecological and socio-economic landscape.
"By restoring black rhinos across their historic range, the Kenya Rhino Range Expansion Initiative represents a legacy of protection, prosperity, and unity -- one that future generations will remember with admiration for the leaders, partners, and communities who made it possible," he said.
The KRRE project also aims to contribute to Kenya's socio-economic growth by creating jobs, strengthening ecological integrity, and enhancing national pride.
The ambitious plan targets growing the country's black rhino population to over 2,000 by 2037 and 3,900 by 2050, supporting global species recovery efforts.
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Through ear-notching and tagging, KWS seeks to manage Kenya's black rhinos as a meta-population, enabling safe movements between sub-populations across 17 conservation sites.
The data collected will help rangers track individual animals, reduce conflicts, monitor genetic diversity, and protect the species from poaching.
"This operation is more than a conservation milestone -- it is a testament to Kenya's unwavering commitment to wildlife recovery and sustainable management," said KWS.
