Kenya has officially opened the expanded Tsavo West Rhino Sanctuary. The reserve currently covers an area of over 1,235 square miles and represents what Kenya Tourism says is the world’s largest reserve for rhino conservation.
Tsavo West National Park is located in southeastern Kenya, roughly halfway between Nairobi and Mombasa, and is one of the country’s largest nature reserves. President William Ruto officially opened the reserve earlier this month, describing the expansion as a strategic national investment combining wildlife protection, climate action and sustainable development.
The expanded reserve includes the former 35-square-mile Ngulia Rhino Reserve, which has exceeded its ecological carrying capacity. The expanded footprint will incorporate 150 black rhinos from the former Ngulia Reserve and 50 from the Tsavo West Intensive Protection Zone, creating a primary population of 200, the largest intact black rhino population in Kenya.
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano said the reserve would not only promote species recovery, but also increase benefit sharing and tourism opportunities for local communities. The project aims to increase annual black rhino population growth from 5% to 8% and is expected to generate more than $45 million in tourism and conservation revenue by 2030.
