Ol Pejeta: All about the Rhinos

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We were awoken at 5:30 this morning by an elephant shaking the tree right in front of our tent - what a cool way to wake up! We lounged in bed for a bit, then later enjoyed breakfast (we both had a very nice breakfast plate with fried potatoes, mushrooms, and two small very light pancakes - quite thin, and very tasty) along with fresh fruit. Susan had sausage and bacon with hers. We packed up and left Samburu at 8:30 for the drive south to the Ol Pejeta conservancy.

We went through much of the same area as we had driving down from Nairobi, but for some reason it seemed quite different. It was a beautiful, very clear day, and we had a good view of Mount Kenya. At the start it was was flat and arid land, with small herds of goats and sheep along the roadside. We also saw quite a few donkeys, just grazing along the road. The animals seem rather oblivious to the traffic, and will often cross the road right in front of the vehicles, and the people (sometimes children) with the herds seem unable to stop them. Luckily there were no casualties today. Well, we did see the aftermath of an accident - it looked like a vehicle had hit a cow (plus knocked down a sign), and ended up flipped on its side in a ditch.

We drove through Isiolo again, with the many markets and stands along the road. I was amazed by the all the little shops on the drive, with many unique names (for example, “the lord is my shepherd mini-shop”, “blessed shoe dealer”, “by Grace cereals shop”, ”anointed cereal shop”). As you see many of the names have religious connotations. They are all teeny, rather ramshackle, shops. Stanley previously told us that 90% of Kenyans are self-employed. It appears that a lot of them have these small shops.

After Isiolo the landscape became greener and more hilly. As we climbed higher it grew more lush, and we had a good view of Mount Kenya. At 5,199 metres Mt. Kenya is Kenya’s highest mountain and the second highest (after Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania) in Africa. It is called the mountain of God in the local Kiyuyu tribe dialect, and some people still pray to it. There are three peaks: Batian, Nelion, and Lenana.

We stopped for a bathroom break at a “curio shop” which sells local handicrafts. We bought a necklace and a little purse, and got a cold drink. After Nanyuki the landscape became flatter and dryer, and we were soon at the Sweetwaters Serena Camp, our home for the next two days. Our tent is really nice. We settled into the tent, did some laundry, and then went for lunch. Here they have a buffet (they didn’t at the Ashnil Samburu Camp), which I like as you can just take what you want. I had vegetarian Indian dishes, and a Tusker Lite. It was very nice. We then had some time before heading out on our afternoon game drive at 4 pm.

Ol Pejeta is much different from Samburu. It is larger (at 100,000 acres) and is a private reserve. Because of its proximity to Nairobi, people from the city come to the conservancy on weekends, either for the day or overnight. It is much busier here than in Samburu, because of that and because today is Saturday, so there are day/weekend visitors.

Rhinoceros (Kifaru in Swahili) are a main feature of the conservancy. We hadn’t driven very far into the conservancy when we spotted our first rhino - a black rhino. It is not really a black colour, as you’ll see by the photos. Black rhinos are critically endangered (the black rhino is likely Kenya’s most endangered large mammal). Its numbers plummeted from around 20,000 in the 1970s to a few hundred a decade later, due to the illegal trade in rhino horns. Rhino horns are, ridiculously, thought to be some sort of aphrodisiac in Chinese medicine. That this usage has led to the near extinction of these animals is truly beyond belief and an example of humanity at its worst. The rhinos are quite wary of people and will move off if bothered by the safari vehicles.

We also spotted several Cape Buffalo (Nyati). These are very large animals with large curved horns. Some of them were covered in caked mud (they roll in mud to keep cool). They are very large, and I sure wouldn’t want to come too close to them (without the protection of the jeep). The Cape Buffalo is unpredictable and quite dangerous, and has never been domesticated, unlike the Water Buffalo seen in Asia (I remember lots of water buffalo in Cambodia and Vietnam).

We drove around for awhile before coming across two other jeeps which had stopped and were watching something. It turned out there was a lion (simba) nearby. This lion wore a tracking collar (to keep it away from the herds of cows, who also live in the conservancy). The lion was alert for awhile, then soon lay down to sleep. Once it lay down it was very difficult to see and I don’t think any other safari vehicles would have been able to spot it.

Later we spotted two Southern White Rhinos. The southern white rhino has been brought back from the brink of extinction with captive breeding. There are now an estimated 800 Southern White Rhinos in Kenya. However, there are only two remaining Northern White Rhinos in the world, both female (a mother and daughter). Once they die, this subspecies will be extinct. This is due to the illegal trade in rhino horn, as I mentioned above. That this despicable activity has led to the extinction of the Northern White Rhino, and the almost extinction of the Black Rhino and the Southern White Rhino, is a very sad commentary on humanity.

We came to the Rhinoceros gravesite and memorial. This incredibly moving site is where a number of rhinos are buried (a few died from natural causes but most were killed for their horns). The inscriptions on their tombstones tell the story of their suffering and deaths. Please read them (see the photos). When I read Ishirini’s inscription I was enraged at what humanity is capable of. DO NOT SUPPORT the illegal trade in rhino horns, which led to these and thousands of other rhino’s incalculable suffering and deaths. It is not an aphrodisiac or a medicine. The only place for a rhino horn is on a rhino.

We got back to our camp about 6:30, and went to the bar for a G&T, followed by dinner. We had an excellent carrot and ginger soup, and I had a selection of salads, accompanied by a nice Chilean Chardonnay. When we got back to our tent, the staff had placed hot water bottles in our bed. What a nice touch. It is much cooler here than in the Samburu, and it gets a bit chilly at night. There is no heat in the tents, so the hot water bottles make it nice and cozy.

Time to sign off for the night.

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Photos

Me in front of the sign
We are at 0 latitude - the equator!

Selfie in front of our tent
No keys needed - just remember to zip up the flaps so the baboons don’t get in!

African sacred Ibis
Right in front of our tent

Bushbuck
Snacking on the vegetation outside the tent

Cape Buffalo
They are covered in caked mud, which they roll around in to cool down.

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Rhinos
There is nothing better than seeing animals in the natural habitat. It saddens us as what people have done to harm animals. Sad really. I doubt it will ever stop as people seem to want what they want.

[alex waring]

Rhinos
Indeed, the rhino story is very sad. I imagine the gravesite and memorial would have been very moving. So lovely to see from your photos that you were able to see some of these precious animals in their natural habitat. I love how you accompany each day with some refreshing adult beverages and amazing food. What amazing experiences you are having in Kenya ?

[RENanDREW]

Mumma and bubba
What a gorgeous photos. And an antidote to the anger that rises up in me when I hear or read of human cruelty to animals. What blows my mind is that it's not even for food or survival reasons - it's for such a laughably stupid reason :( On a happier note, I'm seriously enjoying re-reading your Kenyan blogs :)

[Waddads Travel]

Mumma and bubba
Thanks Ren! I always try to remember all the incredible people working so hard to protect animals, when I hear about such idiocy and cruelty.