DAR ES SALAAM, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The population of endangered rhinos in northern Tanzania's Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has risen from 25 in 1977 to more than 50 in 2018, the NCA Chief Conservator Freddy Manongi said on Thursday.
Most of the rhinos were under 24-hour camera surveillance within the crater, an iconic site and a leading tourist destination in the East African country, Manongi told a news conference.
Manongi said the numbers of the highly endangered rhinos has increased due to reproduction and enhanced anti-poaching efforts.
"One of the rhinos under protection, named Fausta, is believed to be one of the oldest in the world. It is aged 54 years and has been put on a special care," said the conservator.
The Ngorongoro crater, an amphitheater-like caldera, is currently home to rhinos re-introduced some years ago.
Statistics showed that the famous crater had a total of 108 rhinos in 1968, a figure that dropped sharply to 25 in 1977.
Re-introduction of the rhinos specifically in the crater began in the 1990s through the support of the international conservation bodies.
