AN ENDANGERED rhino herd has been given vital access to water thanks to a Chester Zoo project.
A two-tonne bowser, purchased with funds provided by the zoo, will be used in The Mkomazi Rhino Sanctuary – a flagship conservation project in Tanzania, Africa – and will provide relief to 14 critically endangered black rhinos.
The bowser was partly funded by the zoo’s ‘Rhino Maniacs’ – a team of nine members of staff who successfully conquered Mount Kilimanjaro and raised money for rhino conservation in 2010 – and the auction of the fibreglass rhinos that featured in last year’s Rhino Mania city-wide art project in Chester.
Save the Rhino International described the bowser as being ‘an exceptionally important piece of equipment’ – as it will supply all of the main troughs and watering holes across the 3,270 square-km sanctuary.
As the dry season approaches, the sanctuary would have found it difficult to distribute water around the grounds, and zoo bosses in Chester were urged to quickly step in.
Dr Roger Wilkinson, Chester Zoo’s head of field conservation and research, said: “Chester Zoo’s conservation efforts extend beyond the zoo’s boundaries and assistance from organisations such as ours can make a real difference to species everywhere.”
Rhino horn has long been a prized ingredient in Chinese medicine and is valued at £35,000 a kg according to the International Rhino Foundation.
Dr Wilkinson added: “There are now just 67 Eastern black rhinos left in Tanzania and so the work that Chester Zoo does, both here in the UK and out in the wild, is vital in ensuring the survival of the species. We were only too happy to offer our support and make sure these magnificent animals have plentiful access to water.”
It is hoped the population of rhinos in Mkomazi will eventually increase to between 20 and 25 in order to establish a viable population.