KWS deputy spokesman Paul Muya said four rhinos were translocated from Nakuru and 10 others from Lewa National Parks to a sanctuary within the community-owned and -operated Sera Community Conservancy in Isiolo in eastern Kenya to help enhance protection and their comfort.

"We have so far translocated 14 rhinos from Nakuru and Lewa National Parks. These exercises were completed by Sunday. We hope to move six rhinos this week from Nairobi National Park," Muya told Xinhua news agency in Nairobi.

The conservationists hope that the presence of black rhino in Samburu county will be a significant boost to tourism in the area whilst providing new job opportunities for local communities.

Parts of the sanctuary will also be set aside for dry season grazing for local herders, and the community looks forward to increased overall security in the area.

This will be the first time in East Africa a local community will be responsible for the protection and management of the highly threatened black rhino, signalling a shift in the mindset in Kenya's conservation efforts.

Dominic Mijele, a senior KWS veterinary officer at Nakuru National Park, said four rhinos were translocated in the exercise which started on Thursday and ended on Sunday.

He added that for easy identification, the wildlife animals were dehorned and a microchip gadget fitted into them in a bid to facilitate easy monitoring and also check poaching.

"The transmitters are fixed on the front and rear horn in order to help rangers to track and trace the rhino before it settles in the new ecosystem. Nakuru National Park has been a successful Rhino Sanctuary and breeding centre," he said.

Mijele said the officers involved in the translocation exercise also took some blood and tissue samples in order to identify the animals genetically.

"We have translocated two black and two whites to Sera Conservancy in Samburu county. The conservancy will also be a rhino sanctuary," he said.

According to Deputy Park Warden, Maureen Musimbi, the exercise is done regularly so that the park remains a rhino sanctuary and breeding center.

"We serve other conservancies with rhinos but a thorough environment assessment is done on the destination. The translocation exercise is a good move in advancing tourism in the country," She said.

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the population of the eastern black rhino (Diceros bicornis michaeli) plummeted by 98 percent between 1960 and 1995 primarily as a result of poaching and hunting.

However, conservation efforts have managed to stabilise and increase numbers in most of the black rhino's former ranges since then.

Kenya's rhino population has increased from 381 since 1987 to a current estimate of 640. It is projected to rise significantly in the near future, especially with growing partnerships between government, communities and conservation organisations. It is hoped that the new rhino sanctuary would benefit Kenya's black rhino population

Sera Community Conservancy, established in 2001, is governed by a council of elders, an elected board of trustees, a management team and the residing communities which include the Samburu, Rendille and Borana.