Four of the World's Last Known Eight Northern White Rhinos Come Home to Africa.

(4 January 2010)

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy received a very special Christmas present this year. Four of the last eight known northern white rhinos have been relocated from captivity back to the wild in a last bid to save them from extinction. The species is believed to be extinct in the wild.

The animals have been moved from the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic. The two females and two males, transferred by air to Nairobi, and by road to Ol Pejeta, are charged with the responsibility to pull back this species from the brink of extinction in a project dubbed 'Last Chance to Survive', a joint effort by the Dvur Králové Zoo, Fauna & Flora International, Back to Africa, the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

Currently listed as the most critically endangered rhino subspecies and the most endangered mammal species in the world, the northern white rhinos used to range over parts of Uganda, Chad, Sudan, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. By 1960, more than 2,000 northern white rhinos still existed, but excessive poaching for their horn has decimated the species.

The reintroduction of these four northern white rhinos to Africa presents what may very well be the last chance to save their genes.

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, has been identified as the location with the most suitable habitat, climate, security and infrastructure to give the rhinos their best, and probably last chance of breeding successfully. Not only is this testament to Kenya's commitment to rhino conservation and to Ol Pejeta's sucess as a rhino sanctuary, but highlights Ol Pejeta as a must-see destination for anyone wanting to support the preservation of such a precious species.

You can follow the progress of these rhino on the Ol Pejeta website www.olpejetaconservancy.org