Rhino poaching (especially across Africa) has reached unprecedented  levels; most rhino species across the world are highly endangered and the  current poaching pressure has arisen largely as a result of demand for rhino  horn in China. Similarly elephant poaching across Africa has now reached  levels not seen since the 1980′s, also driven by demand for ivory from  China. Recent estimates suggest 35,000 elephants are now being illegally  killed in Africa per year. This is unsustainable. An international outcry is  now required to force the Chinese government to stop the illegal …

Happy World Rhino Day! Despite the losing many of our Rhinos, Laikipia has also enjoyed a few births recently. One black rhino birth to Zaria at Lewa last month and two new black rhino calves have been sighted on Solio this month together with five white rhino calves born since June.
Relocating Sparta from Borana to Lewa; Celebrating Laikipia’s efforts in keeping our rhinos safe watch  Relocating Sparta

New for 2011: Guests who want to experience the true wildness of the area can spend one or two nights walking and fly camping in the further reaches of the conservancy, starting with a 4 – 5hour walk along the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, accompanied by camels carrying a picnic breakfast, reaching the fly camp in the late morning. Dinner is served under the stars and the night spent under mosquito tents, giving a clear view of the sky above. Sasaab Lodge is located in the Westgate Community …

When you go to the grocery store the cashier scans the barcode on the product to identify what it is and to post the price. Zebra have stripes, too, so why can’t the same procedure be used to sort among them enabling scientists to tell every individual apart? Why can’t we use nature’s natural barcode for identifying every zebra individual. Well….. the stripes, bend, touch and cross and individuals turn and run away. So it has been a challenge until now. Scientists have now cracked the code. Check out http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-04/8/zebra-barcode-scanner …

‘…ultimately elephants have no future here if they incur costs for the people with whom they share their range and it is only by minimizing these costs and maximizing benefits from their presence that we can guarantee their future.’ Dr Max Graham, Space for Giants
Huge steps have been taken to address the problem of fence breaking elephants inWest Laikipiain recent weeks. More than 70 individual elephants have been identified as fence breakers and they are quickly teaching others to do the same. We may soon have a major management crisis …