NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 27— Kenya’s success in rebuilding its black rhino population from the brink of extinction is creating a new conservation challenge — finding enough secure habitat for the growing numbers.Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Director General Professor Erustus Kanga said the country’s black rhino population had reached 1,147 by the end of 2025, with conservation efforts now shifting from preventing losses to creating space for the species to expand.Kanga spoke on Saturday during the African premiere of RHINO, a documentary directed by Tom Martienssen and narrated by Tom Hardy, which was screened at Trademark Hotel in Nairobi.“We really suffer from our success,” Kanga said, pointing to increasing territorial competition among rhinos as populations recover.The screening was attended by US Charge d’Affaires Susan Burns and UK High Commissioner Matt Baugh, alongside conservation leaders, rangers, veterinary experts and other stakeholderHe said the expansion of habitat was becoming critical because territorial fights had resulted in deaths in some sanctuaries.“We must have the space. We must create distance,” Kanga said, calling for continued investment and partnerships to expand the land available for rhino conservation.The population recovery marks a dramatic turnaround for a species that was severely depleted by poaching and illegal international wildlife trade in the 1970s and 1980s.Kanga said Kenya’s black rhino population had fallen to about 350 animals by the late 1980s, prompting the establishment of secure sanctuaries and intensified protection.He said the recovery had been driven by generations of rangers, scientists, veterinarians, communities and conservation organisations working to protect the animals.Kanga said Kenya was now working towards a new black rhino recovery and action plan, expected to be launched by December, as the country seeks to sustain the gains made under the current plan.He said the previous recovery plan was on course to meet its target of 1,200 black rhinos.21 rhinos return to LoisabaOne of the clearest examples of the shift in Kenya’s conservation strategy is the establishment of a new rhino population at Loisaba Conservancy.In January 2024, 21 black rhinos were moved to Loisaba from Ol Pejeta, Lewa and Nairobi National Park after years of planning involving KWS, conservancies and international conservation partners.The return marked the restoration of black rhinos to Loisaba after an absence of about half a century.Kanga said the population had since begun reproducing, with nine calves born over the past two years, bringing the Loisaba population to 30 and demonstrating the potential of carefully planned habitat expansion.The translocation was also highlighted by Loisaba Board Chair Sophie Kinyua, who said the operation illustrated the importance of partnerships in Kenya’s conservation model.“The partnerships in this room are proof that we can achieve what we choose to work to act together,” Kinyua said.She said conservation had reached a point where the central challenge was increasingly about creating space for rhino populations to thrive.“We have reached the point where our greatest challenge is no longer preventing loss. It is creating space for our rhino populations to expand,” Kinyua said.From fighting poaching to managing successThe changing conservation landscape comes after significant progress in combating rhino poaching.Kanga said Kenya recorded no rhino poaching in 2025 and had maintained that record into 2026 at the time of his address.He credited the achievement to the work of KWS, conservancies, communities and other partners, while stressing that continued security investment remains necessary.Kenya is also looking beyond population numbers to genetic diversity and long-term resilience.Kanga said Kenya would need partnerships with countries including South Africa and Zambia to support the movement of rhinos and maintain genetic diversity as populations grow.He also cited the expansion of protected areas, including the expansion of Tsavo West Rhino Sanctuary to 3,200-square-kilometre.Film puts rangers at the centreThe documentary RHINO follows Kenyan rangers and conservation teams over five years, documenting the daily risks and work involved in protecting the country’s black rhinos.Martienssen said he initially came to Kenya expecting to find another story about the rhino crisis but instead encountered what he described as a story of conservation success.“I actually found was a story of unmatched success,” he said.He subsequently spent five years following rangers and conservation teams to document their work.Martienssen said the film was intended to capture the people behind Kenya’s conservation achievements and the risks they take to protect wildlife.He also called for greater investment in Kenya’s own storytelling capacity so that conservation stories can increasingly be told by people living and working in the country.The screening was followed by a panel discussion bringing together Martienssen, rangers, conservation leaders and veterinary experts.For Kanga, the next phase of conservation will require sustained investment in land, security and communities as Kenya seeks to grow its black rhino population towards 2,000 by 2037.He urged partners to ensure that communities living alongside wildlife also benefit from conservation through employment, tourism and private enterprise.“Our goal of 2,000 black rhinos by 2037 requires sustained investment,” Kanga said. “I ask our partners to secure the land and support the people for whom that future depends.”