‘There is no better place to see or photograph rhino’ is a recent comment from a Kicheche Laikipia alumni. She was right. Virtually every game drive delivers these armoured browsers and grazers.
Kicheche Laikipia’s conservancy, Ol Pejeta has been so successful in protecting this endangered species that it is easy to become complacent over their future.
Currently, rhino horn (actually keratin, very similar to finger and toenails) has a street value higher than cocaine. In South East Asia it is employed, with zero medical provenance, as an aphrodisiac to bolster and massage pitifully flaccid libidos. It resides in wet markets alongside bear bile, pangolin scales and tiger bones. ‘Traditional’ is now largely an insidiously evil word but unfortunately acts as a defence of this ludicrous ‘medicine.’
Each game drive Peter, Simon, Dickson and Albert source this class A species. Each evening the twin camp fires at 1900m illuminate the tales of these almost-blind sentinels. Is Conservancy tourism important for them, of course it is, like any vulnerable or violated species. During the dry season they often come to slake their not inconsiderable thirst at the dam in front of camp.
It is serious this week, sometimes it has to be and we salute all those who support this alternative horn of Africa. There is no argument that can support their persecution: black or white … no shades of grey in between please.
