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| Location: |
Africa - Eastern Africa - Kenya |
| Subject: |
Distribution - Status |
| Species: |
Black Rhino |
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KREMU counts 1977-1983. Activities of the Kenya Rangeland Ecological Monitoring Unit (KREMU)
Baseline information on the populatons and distributions of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) was obtained during KREMU's 1977 and 1978 aerial surveys of all pastoral rangelands in Kenya. Population trends were determined by comparing population estimates for 1977 and 1978 for the entire rangelands and also comparing these values with results from 1980 surveys in southern Kenya, and 1981 survey results from northern Kenya. The 1983 surveys have just been analysed and the results can be seen in the table.
The aerial surveys were conducted along straightline transects in which the two rear-seat observers counted all animals observed within a strip of land 112 m wide on each side of the aircraft while the Cessna 185 aircraft flew at 91 m (300 ft) above ground level at a speed of 150 kph. Transects were spaced 10 km apart in 1977 (2.2% sampling intensity) and 5 km apart in 1978 (4.4% sampling intensity). During 1980 and 1981 surveys were conducted with two Parienavia aircraft. The 1980 strip width was 125 m on each side of the aircraft (5.0% sampling intensity), while in 1981 northern Kenya surveys, the strip width was 200 m, giving a sampling intensity of 8.0%.
The 1977 and 1978 surveys of southern Kenya were conducted during the wet (January-May) season while the 1980 surveys were during the dry (July-October) season. The northern Kenya surveys in 1977 and 1978 were dry (August-October) season while the 1981 surveys were wet (February-April) season. This provided useful information on the distributions of animals during both wet and dry seasons.
Major differences in seasonal distributions of both elephant and rhinoceros are shown in the KREMU 1981 report.
Maximum populations of rhinoceroses were 3,636 in 1977; 1,468 in 1978 and 1,1 00 in 1980-81 for the entire rangelands of Kenya. Another 300 animals existed in portions of the Agricultural Zone such as in the Aberdares.
For the entire rangelands, the rhinoceros population declined 60% during the one-year period of 1977 to 1978 while in southern Kenya the population declined a further 35.9% between 1978 and 1980. The greatest reduction occurred in th south-east eco-region, especially the Tsavo, Mtito Andei an Jipe eco-units.
The 1980-81 rhinoceros population throughout Kenya was probably about 1400 animals.
The distribution of rhinos continued to decline in souther Kenya; they were observed in eight eco-units in 1977, seven in 1978 and only four in 1980. None was observed during th northern Kenya surveys in 1981.
The very low and declining rhinoceros population and its shrinking distribution presents a grave situation that warrant increased action to arrest and reverse this trend especially in Tsavo, Mtito Andei, Jipe, Hola and Meru eco-units.
KREMU should continue to monitor the populations an distributions of elephants and rhinos throughout the Keny rangelands on a periodic basis, for example once every thre years. For the smaller, major rangps of these species, mor detailed sampling is required, e.g. a sampling intensity of 25-30% once every five years.
Rhino populations in Kenya by district, 1977-1983
1977 1978 1980-81 1983
Baringo 0 nd 0 nd
Garissa 44 0 nd 0
Isiolo 0 0 nd nd
Kaijado 0 47 0 0
Kilifi 0 0 0 0
Kitui 233 0 160 0
Kwale 0 0 nd 0
Laikipia 0 0 0 nd
Lamu 0 39 41 0
Mandera 0 0 nd nd
Marsabit 0 0 0 nd
Narok 136 218 0 0
Samburu 0 nd 0 nd
Taita/Taveta 981 234 91 76
Tana River 252 0 119 0
Turkana 0 nd 0 nd
Wajir 0 0 nd nd
West Pokot 0 nd 0 nd
Total 1646 538 411 76
End
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Monitoring elephant and rhino trends in Kenya
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