Last year, rangers conducting a routine inspection of camera traps in the lava forests of the Chyulu Hills were surprised to discover three grainy images of a critically endangered Eastern black rhino named Nontoyie…with a calf.

Since then, the status of Nontoyie and her calf has been on every one of Big Life’s ranger’s minds. The two were photographed again in February, but thereafter, things went quiet. Rhino calves are extremely vulnerable at that stage. All we could do was to keep checking the camera traps, patrolling and keeping the area secure, and pray that it survived.

A full year later, and Nontoyie and her calf have been pictured again, looking healthy and strong.

This is enormously encouraging for two reasons. First, the odds now lean in favor of the calf’s survival. But more so, we now know that the calf is female. This is a critical boost for this tiny population, which only numbers 8.

We’re doing everything we can to ensure their success. With 63 dedicated rhino rangers across 10 outposts on patrol every day, we haven’t lost a rhino to a poaching incident for 8 years. We suspect that this calf is the granddaughter of Cathy, another rhino who died of old age in 2022. The calf now represents the third generation of Chyulu rhinos that have been able to live out their lives safely thanks to the combined efforts of our rangers and those from the Kenya Wildlife Service.

This would not be possible without our supporters around the world. We are particularly grateful to USFWS, Chester Zoo, and our partners at Royal African Safaris for supporting our rhino protection efforts.

📹: Joshua Clay