17 rhino deaths in eight months: Ol Pejeta Conservancy raises alarm

Efforts to rebuild the endangered black rhino population are facing a new ecological challenge, with growing numbers at one of the country's leading conservation areas putting pressure on available habitat and food resources.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which hosts 179 eastern black rhinos, says its population has exceeded the estimated 120 animals that its habitat can sustainably support, raising questions about the capacity of existing sanctuaries to accommodate the country's growing rhino population.

The conservancy has reported a decline of more than 80 per cent in whistling thorn acacia, an important food source for black rhinos, across its 90,000-acre landscape, with the decline exceeding 90 per cent in the eastern section.

The pressure comes as the conservancy grapples with changing ecological conditions, including prolonged dry spells and the spread of less palatable Euclea divinorum bush, which have compounded concerns over food availability.

The developments present a new challenge for Kenya's conservation efforts, which have seen the country's black rhino population recover from approximately 380 animals in the late 1980s to more than 1,200 this year.

Ol Pejeta says its black rhino population has grown at an average annual rate of approximately 5.5 per cent since the last introduction of rhinos to the conservancy in 2007, but the gains are now placing additional demands on habitat restoration and population management.

“We deeply regret the loss of each rhino. Our records show that 17 black rhinos died between 26 February and 12th November 2026,” the conservancy's chairman, Philip Coulson, said in a statement.

He added that the conservancy was also investigating the status of two additional calves that had not been recently sighted, as it works with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to verify population records and establish the circumstances surrounding the losses.

The deaths were attributed to natural causes, with five cases involving confirmed or suspected lion predation, four attributed to old age, two to downer syndrome, two to disease and one to drowning.

The causes of three deaths remain undetermined.

According to the conservancy, joint veterinary examinations with KWS found no evidence of poaching in the reported cases, with all recovered horns safely stored by the wildlife agency.

The habitat assessment is expected to provide a clearer picture of the number of rhinos the conservancy can sustainably support and inform decisions on future population management.

The Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) is currently undertaking an assessment to establish the ecological carrying capacity of the conservancy, amid concerns that continued browsing pressure is affecting the availability of vegetation needed to sustain the animals.

The ecological pressures have been compounded by poor rainfall, with Ol Pejeta recording 298.4 millimetres between April and October this year, approximately 56 per cent of the 528.8 millimetres recorded on average during the same period between 2020 and 2025.

The changing conditions have raised concerns about the health of older animals and those whose body condition has been deteriorating, although the conservancy cautions that habitat pressure alone does not explain every recorded death.

"Exclusion zone"

To address the situation, Ol Pejeta has established an exclusion zone to allow acacia trees to regenerate and planted more than 10,000 seedlings as part of efforts to restore the animals' food supply.

“We have set aside an exclusion zone to help acacia trees recover and planted more than 10,000 seedlings to restore food for rhinos,” Coulson said.

The conservancy is also providing supplementary food and veterinary care to vulnerable animals while monitoring their health and supporting research into the dietary requirements of black rhinos.

In August, Ol Pejeta, working with KWS, also translocated 18 lions as an intervention to reduce predation pressure on the rhino population.

The habitat challenge comes against the backdrop of Kenya's wider efforts to expand the range of endangered rhinos, with Ol Pejeta playing a role in establishing populations beyond its boundaries.

Black rhinos from the conservancy were used to establish populations at Loisaba in 2024 and Segera in 2025, as conservation agencies seek to create additional secure habitats and reduce pressure on existing sanctuaries.

The conservancy says further expansion will depend on the availability of suitable vegetation, reliable water supplies, security and sustained funding for veterinary care and monitoring.

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