Number of rhinos stabilizes in Serengeti National Park

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The number of rhinoceros in Serengeti National Park (SENAPA) in northern Tanzania remained stable for the last ten months, wildlife ranger in charge of rhino protection project in the park said on Monday.

Ronald Vincent, warden of Moru Rhino Project in the Southern section of SENAPA, said that the number of black rhinos in SENAPA remained stable as no killings happened between January and November this year.

"For the last 10 months, we haven't seen any carcass in the park, that's what makes us believe that we are doing fine in protecting the endangered species," the ranger said.

Vincent is one of the 100 wildlife rangers recruited by the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) last year to boost anti-poaching efforts in the country's protected areas and parks.

He recounted that in January this year one rhino was killed by poachers, in their hunt for the horns that are highly sought-after in parts of the Middle and Far East.

Only 31 of the remaining rhinos are natives of the Serengeti National Park. The dead rhino was one of the five that were flown to Tanzania last year from South Africa, which were bred from seven rhinos that were re-located to South Africa in the early 1960s.

Another 27 rhinos are expected to be returned to their natural habitat in stages over the next few years under the Serengeti Rhino Repatriation project.

"We are trying the best to maintain this number and perhaps make them regenerate," he said, asking for more modern equipments to strengthen wildlife security in the Tanzania's second largest park.

"Poachers are using sophisticated tools, so even us we need more sophisticated tools to improve the monitoring processes," he said.

"The increasing number of rhinos is a result of a number of factors including the existence of this project; we have installed transmitters on rhinos to simplify the task of monitoring the wild animals which is in a peril of extinction," said Vincent.

Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) has been supporting the Serengeti Rhino Conservation Project to monitor and protect the Serengeti rhino population through vehicles, training, equipment as well as the construction of the Michael Grzimek memorial ranger post located in Moru Kopjes in the wilderness of the world heritage site.

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