Taking Charge: How a Community-run Sanctuary is Creating a Bright Future for Black Rhinos

Black rhino in Sera Community Conservancy. Photo| Anthony Ochieng

Once a poaching hotspot, Sera Community Conservancy has etched its name in history as the first community conservancy in Africa to run a rhino sanctuary. The Conservancy is dedicated to protecting the critically endangered black rhino.

In the 1980s, Sera had a large population of black rhinos, but prolonged conflict and hunting decimated the population, and the last one in the area is believed to have been killed in the early 1990s. Cattle theft and conflict between rival ethnic groups in Sera created an ideal environment for poaching to thrive, with poachers taking full advantage of the chaos to harvest rhino horns.

In 2015 the community came together and established Sera Rhino Sanctuary with a founding population of ten rhinos. Sera is now home to 21 endangered black rhinos, thanks to a concerted conservation effort by the indigenous communities, dedicated conservancy scouts, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and support from partners.

Sera Community Conservancy Warden Johnstone Lemerketo monitoring wildlife at the Sera Sanctuary. Photo | Anthony Ochieng.

Since the Sanctuary’s establishment, Sera’s black rhino population has created employment opportunities for the community and generated revenue to address community needs such as education bursaries and water provision.

Sera Rhino Sanctuary’s black rhinos have a bright future, and Sera Community Conservancy is pioneering the community-driven conservation of species on the verge of extinction in East Africa and possibly all of Africa.