One woman's wish to save rhinos has led to the construction of a rhino sanctuary in northern Kenya. Anna Merz visited the Craigs' acacia-savanna ranch in 1982, and discussed with them the possibility of a rhino sanctuary. With the Craigs' provision of 5,000 acres on Lewa Downs, Anna Merz paid for a 20km long fence from the `Elefence' company to enclose the area for rhinos. Preparations for the sanctuary took a year to complete. The fence now stands at 2.40m and has seven electric wires, each one carrying 5000 volts. The fence is to provide the dual function of keeping rhinos in and poachers out and also there is strict guard security. By February 1984, black rhino translocation to Lewa Downs was able to begin, with the full support throughout of Daniel Sindiyo, Director of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Department. Invaluable help and hard work continue from Peter Jenkins, Senior Warden (Planning North) in the Department, and Francis Dyer, Sanctuary Manager, as well as the Craigs themselves. First to be brought to the sanctuary was a male black rhino, captured near Nairobi National Park by the Capture Unit. The second rhino was a female, found by Anna Merz, the last rhino in Shaba Reserve. For four months, four guards protected her in Shaba, but despite this, there was fear that bandits might kill her and she was moved, still wild and desperate, to the safety of Lewa Downs. In the holding boma Anna Merz calmed her by the unique expedient of reading aloud to her for three days. Another male arrived from the Nairobi Park Orphanage. Finally, two more males and one female were brought by the Department Capture Unit from the Prettejohns' ranch, near Mweiga into the sanctuary. So far, therefore, Lewa Downs rhino sanctuary protects four males and two females and mating has already been observed once. Anna Merz is hoping to bring in three more black rhino females. There are not only black rhinos in the sanctuary. A southern white rhino from California was recently introduced to the tame group of southern whites in Meru National Park to provide new blood, and the non-breeding male at Meru was transfered to Lewa. Possibly, Anna Merz says, some more whites may be introduced to Lewa to breed with the solitary male. The vegetation in the sanctuary has been surveyed by Hugh Lamprey, and any changes since the introduction of the rhinos will be monitored. What plans for the future? The gestation period for black rhinos is 15-18 months, and if breeding proves successful; Anna Merz hopes that funds could be raised to enclose eventual- ly the whole 45-48,000 acres of Lewa Downs. One day when the demand for the horn has been successfully curbed, Anna Merz wishes to open the fence to the largely uninhabitated dry north and repopulate northern Kenya with black rhinos. Until that time, this `holding action' is the best safeguard for the rhinos.
A southern white rhino from California was recently introduced to the tame group of southern whites in Meru National Park to provide new blood, and the non-breeding male at Meru was transfered to Lewa.
Gestation period. 15-18 months
