Dakima – which means ‘joy of living’ in Swahili – was born here at Chester to mum Malindi in 2013 and will play a vital role in the endangered species breeding programme for Eastern black rhinos.
Lead keeper Emma has travelled with Dakima on her journey and will spend a few days helping to get her settled in to her new home.
We hope that, in time, Dakima will have calves of her own and add to the safety-net population in zoos. Eastern black rhinos are a critically endangered species which have been relentlessly hunted by poachers and now less than 650 are believed to remain across Africa.
We offer support, both through funding and through the provision of our expertise, in areas including Tsavo, Chyulu and Laikipia in Kenya and Mkomazi in Tanzania to protect the remaining population and their long-term survival.
Find out more about how we’re helping to protect the remaining black rhino populations in the wild on our Act for Wildlife website here.