Kenya’s wildlife agency KWS celebrated the birth of a baby rhino, an increasingly rare event, in Meru National Park, at the foot of Mount Kenya, KWS reported on its Facebook page.
“We are thrilled to start the week with this news: a baby rhino has been born. We can’t wait to see him grow and thrive in his natural habitat,” the organization wrote.
Since 2020, Kenya’s rhino population has fallen dramatically. Meru Park, which usually has the highest number of births, had nine cubs and more than 200 adults, but most of them disappeared due to poaching, The Star newspaper reported.
In an effort to save the animals, KWS created a 340-square-mile “sanctuary” that is now home to the critically endangered black and white rhino species, under 24-hour surveillance. There are currently more than 40 rhinos there. According to a 2017 KWS report, the total number of rhinos in Kenya is 61 white and 28 black.