VOA新闻杂志2024--Environmentalists Celebrate Return of Rhinos in Central Kenya

Environmentalists Celebrate Return of Rhinos² in Central Kenya

Conservationists in Kenya are celebrating the return of many rhinoceroses³ to an area where they have not been for many years.

The successful move of 21 eastern black rhinos to a new home will give them space to reproduce⁴ and could help increase the population of the highly endangered animals. The effort was Kenya's biggest-ever move of rhinos.

The rhinos were taken from three parks that are becoming overpopulated to the private Loisaba Conservancy, a place where poachers killed all the rhinos many years ago.

Moving the rhinos required 18 days. Conservationists followed the rhinos using a helicopter. They then shot them with special guns that inject tranquilizer into the animals, which weigh hundreds of kilograms. The rhinos then have to be loaded into the back of a truck.

Disaster nearly struck early in the move. A tranquilized rhino¹ fell into a small river. Officials involved with the move held the rhino's head above water with a rope to prevent it from drowning while a drug to undo⁵ the tranquilizer took effect. The animal was then released.

Some of the rhinos were taken from Nairobi National Park. They had to travel 300-kilometers. Others came from two parks closer to Loisaba.

Rhinos usually stay by themselves and require large territories. As numbers in three parks have increased, wildlife officials decided⁶ to move some of the animals to Loisaba. They hope the rhinos will be happier and more likely to reproduce.

David Ndere is an expert on rhinos at the Kenya Wildlife Service. He said rhino reproduction rates decrease when they are crowded in a territory.

"By removing some animals, we expect that the rhino population in those areas will rise up," Ndere said. "And then we reintroduce that founder⁷ population of at least 20 animals into new areas."

Loisaba Conservancy said it has put aside around 25,000 hectares for the new arrivals, which are a mix of males and females.

Kenya has had some success in bringing back black rhinos. The population fell from around 20,000 in the 1970s to below 300 in the 1980s because of poaching, conservationists say. The loss increased fears that the animals might disappear from the country. Kenya now has around 1,000 black rhinos, the third biggest population after South Africa and Namibia.

There are just over 6,400 wild black rhinos left in the world, all of them are in Africa, the organization Save the Rhino International said.

Tom Silvester is the chief executive⁸ officer of Loisaba Conservancy. He said Kenya's plan is to get its black rhino numbers to 2,000 over the next 10 years.

"Once we have 2,000 individuals, we will have established a population that will give us hope that we have brought them back from extinction⁹," he said.

Kenyan officials say they have moved more than 150 rhinos in the last 10 years.

But not all moves have succeeded. One attempt to move 11 rhinos in 2018 ended with all of the animals dying.

An investigation¹⁰ found 10 of the rhinos died from stress, a lack of water and food that was made worse by salt poisoning. The animals could not get used to the salty water in their new home. Another animal was attacked by a lion.

Since then, new guidelines¹¹ have been created for the capture and moving of rhinos in Kenya. Silvester said officials tested the water quality at Loisaba.

Words in This Story

conservation – n. the activity of aiming to protect animals, plants, and natural resources

park – n. a large area of public land kept in its natural state to protect plants and animals

tranquilize – v. to use a drug to cause (a person or animal) to become very relaxed and calm

extinction – n. when a specific kind of living thing dies out and disappears from the Earth

stress – n. a state of tension that, in animals, is connected with conditions that they do not normally face

1 rhino   

n.犀牛，钱, 现金

参考例句：

• The rhino charged headlong towards us.犀牛急速地向我们冲来。
• They have driven the rhino to the edge of extinction.他们已经令犀牛濒临灭绝。

2 rhinos   

n.犀牛（rhino的复数形式）

参考例句：

• There are many reports of people taming and even training Indian rhinos. 有许多关于人们驯养甚至训练印度犀牛的记载。 来自辞典例句
• The rhinos had fed during the night in the rice fields of these villagers. 犀牛夜里在这些村民的庄稼地里也已吃饱了。 来自辞典例句

3 rhinoceroses   

n.钱，钞票( rhino的名词复数 )；犀牛(=rhinoceros)；犀牛( rhinoceros的名词复数 )；脸皮和犀牛皮一样厚

参考例句：

• Rhinoceroses and dragons for once will let us walk in peace. 犀牛与龙安歇，让我们能平静地行走。 来自互联网
• Although the rhinoceroses are very heavy, they can run very fast. 犀牛虽然体型笨重，但仍能以相当快的速度行走或奔跑。 来自互联网

4 reproduce   

v.生育，繁殖，复制，重做

参考例句：

• The machine can reproduce a key in two minutes.这机器能在两分钟内复制一把钥匙。
• The picture will reproduce well.这照片会印得很清楚。

5 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

8 executive   

adj.执行的，行政的；n.执行者，行政官，经理

参考例句：

• A good executive usually gets on well with people.一个好的高级管理人员通常与人们相处得很好。
• He is a man of great executive ability.他是个具有极高管理能力的人。

9 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 guidelines   

n.指导方针，准则

参考例句：

• The government has drawn up guidelines on the treatment of the mentally ill. 政府制订了对待精神病人的指导方针。
• Planners seem a little uncomfortable with the current government guidelines. 规划师似乎不太接受现行的政府指道方针。