Kenya ... Northern White Rhino ... more Elephants ...
Mar 13, 2020 14:27:31 #
I've decided to focus my last few posts from Africa on the animals that struck me most. Yesterday it was the Giraffe ... today, the Northern White Rhino & Elephants.
When I first saw the itinerary for our (RetiredCPO & me) trip to Kenya, I was intrigued because it stated we were to spend most of our time at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, located about 4 hours due North of Nairobi, Kenya. I was aware that there is a functionally extinct subspecies of Rhino, of which there are only 2 females still alive in the world & they are both at El Pejeta Conservancy. I was disappointed when the itinerary didn't mention them, although they did highlight we'd see Black Rhinos & Southern White Rhinos, which I believe are both endangered due to hunting & poaching.
So that's where my education about Rhinos started. I had no idea how many types of Rhinos there are, but I did learn you can in fact, tell them apart. According to the guidebook the "White Rhino is the world's 2nd largest land mammal - the Elephant being the largest. The animal's name has nothing to do with colour, but is a corruption of the Afrikanaans word 'Weit' meaning 'wide' and refers to the shape of the mouth ... Far bigger and heavier than the Black Rhino, the head is large, square-shaped ..." We learned that this is an adaption to the fact that Whites graze mostly on grass while the Blacks eat grass as well, they also nibble on tree branches. As a result, the Blacks have a narrow mouth & "prehensile upper lip" (an appendage that can be used to grasp something). After several days, I was able to distinguish the Blacks from the Whites ... however, I was unable to see the differences (although our guide tried to educate me) between the Northern & Southern White Rhinos.
The good news is when we got to El Pejeta Conservancy, a long held hope that I could see the last remaining Northern White Rhinos was in fact fulfilled. We drove by their compound several times & each time, they were out grazing with a male Southern White Rhino they hope will breed (so far, that has not happened). So I'm starting my post with a few pictures of them. I believe Keith has some great photos he plans to post of the Southern White & Black Rhinos that roamed freely around the Conservancy.
The 2nd part of this post is to highlight another favorite animal of mine ... the largest land mammal ... the Elephant. We frequently came across groups of Elephants of varying sizes many with little ones. We often saw them crossing a road, so we were actually quite close ... & they are impressive creatures up close.
The first 3 shots of the Rhinos & the 1st through the 3rd plus the last of the Elephants were shot with a Canon 5dIV & an EF-70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. The 4th Rhino shot & the 4th & 5th Elephant shots were with the same body but an EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens.
When I first saw the itinerary for our (RetiredCPO & me) trip to Kenya, I was intrigued because it stated we were to spend most of our time at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, located about 4 hours due North of Nairobi, Kenya. I was aware that there is a functionally extinct subspecies of Rhino, of which there are only 2 females still alive in the world & they are both at El Pejeta Conservancy. I was disappointed when the itinerary didn't mention them, although they did highlight we'd see Black Rhinos & Southern White Rhinos, which I believe are both endangered due to hunting & poaching.
So that's where my education about Rhinos started. I had no idea how many types of Rhinos there are, but I did learn you can in fact, tell them apart. According to the guidebook the "White Rhino is the world's 2nd largest land mammal - the Elephant being the largest. The animal's name has nothing to do with colour, but is a corruption of the Afrikanaans word 'Weit' meaning 'wide' and refers to the shape of the mouth ... Far bigger and heavier than the Black Rhino, the head is large, square-shaped ..." We learned that this is an adaption to the fact that Whites graze mostly on grass while the Blacks eat grass as well, they also nibble on tree branches. As a result, the Blacks have a narrow mouth & "prehensile upper lip" (an appendage that can be used to grasp something). After several days, I was able to distinguish the Blacks from the Whites ... however, I was unable to see the differences (although our guide tried to educate me) between the Northern & Southern White Rhinos.
The good news is when we got to El Pejeta Conservancy, a long held hope that I could see the last remaining Northern White Rhinos was in fact fulfilled. We drove by their compound several times & each time, they were out grazing with a male Southern White Rhino they hope will breed (so far, that has not happened). So I'm starting my post with a few pictures of them. I believe Keith has some great photos he plans to post of the Southern White & Black Rhinos that roamed freely around the Conservancy.
The 2nd part of this post is to highlight another favorite animal of mine ... the largest land mammal ... the Elephant. We frequently came across groups of Elephants of varying sizes many with little ones. We often saw them crossing a road, so we were actually quite close ... & they are impressive creatures up close.
The first 3 shots of the Rhinos & the 1st through the 3rd plus the last of the Elephants were shot with a Canon 5dIV & an EF-70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. The 4th Rhino shot & the 4th & 5th Elephant shots were with the same body but an EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens.
A bit of description of the Southern White Rhino's situation currently.
(Download)
It was clear each time we were out there, that we were in fact under observation.
(Download)
And here is one of the world's last Northern White Rhinos ... seen here through the enclosure wire. Unfortunately, I can't tell you which one this is. If you look closely, you can note the square jaw.
(Download)
And here is the other of the world's last remaining Northern White Rhinos. Again, I can't tell the 2 apart but our guide said this was the other.
(Download)
Herd of Elephants we happened upon next to the road. I posted a shot of a calf in this group nursing in a prior post. Mama's were not alarmed at our being there, but they seemed to keep their eyes on us.
(Download)
A mama with her baby ...
(Download)
A baby eating grass ... hard to think of an elephant getting lost in the grass, but a couple of these were relative new borns, so they were mostly hidden in the grass.
(Download)
Another baby ...
(Download)
An elephant that was part of another smaller herd we saw in another part of the Conservancy.
(Download)
And one last elephant we saw in another field ...
(Download)
Mar 13, 2020 14:35:07 #
Mar 13, 2020 14:38:55 #
UTMike wrote:
Frank, thanks for a great trip that you are sharing!
And thank you for the many great comments Mike. I appreciate it. I plan 4 final posts as I highlight favorite animals encountered ... next up, I focus on predators ... they were really something.
Mar 13, 2020 14:39:32 #
Nice shots, thanks for posting.
(Really like the close-up of the little guy.)
(Really like the close-up of the little guy.)
Mar 13, 2020 14:41:23 #
Longshadow wrote:
Nice shots, thanks for posting.
(Really like the close-up of the little guy.)
(Really like the close-up of the little guy.)
Thanks for the comment ... I appreciate the visit & comment as always.
Mar 13, 2020 15:11:59 #
Really excellent shots of Rhinos & Elephants. The big guy last one is a really nice capture. Can't wait to see your predator shots. Thanks for showing us your wonderful trip.
Mar 13, 2020 15:21:20 #
Mar 13, 2020 15:21:32 #
Hereford wrote:
Really excellent shots of Rhinos & Elephants. The big guy last one is a really nice capture. Can't wait to see your predator shots. Thanks for showing us your wonderful trip.
Well, you're welcome, but truth be told, Keith & I are the ones who had all the fun & we're showing our photos ... so there's a part of me that wants to thank folks like you for looking & commenting. It is much appreciated. And I will admit, the predators are the ones I've been holding back on until the end. They were really exciting ... I just hope you & others feel I captured that excitement.
Mar 13, 2020 15:23:31 #
NMGal wrote:
Loved this series, especially the elephants.
Thank you ... I appreciate it. The elephants were really something ... so I appreciate your comment.
Mar 13, 2020 15:27:17 #
Another excellent series Frank, I love to see the baby elephants thrashing their little trunks about, with absolutely no control of them! 
Mar 13, 2020 15:40:50 #
Sylvias wrote:
Another excellent series Frank, I love to see the baby elephants thrashing their little trunks about, with absolutely no control of them!
Agree ... although some of those little guys were quite adept at grabbing a bunch of grass & stuffing it in their mouths with those little trunks. So they're learning fast for sure. Appreciate the visit & comments.
Mar 13, 2020 15:41:03 #
Awesome...thanks for taking us all with you on your adventure!! The baby's are my favorites!
Mar 13, 2020 15:51:39 #
fbeaston wrote:
Agree ... although some of those little guys were quite adept at grabbing a bunch of grass & stuffing it in their mouths with those little trunks. So they're learning fast for sure. Appreciate the visit & comments.
They often suck their trunks when very young as a soother and are around six months old when they have full control of them. I spent some time in Sri Lanka at an elephant orphanage, bottle feeding the youngsters. Also getting in the river and giving the adult ones a good scrub with a hard brush whilst they laid down. They moaned and groaned with pleasure. It was a great experience.
Mar 13, 2020 15:53:10 #
CindyHouk wrote:
Awesome...thanks for taking us all with you on your adventure!! The baby's are my favorites!
You're welcome Cindy, but as I indicated to hereford earlier, it seems like I should be thanking you & others for viewing. Keith & I had all the fun of seeing these beautiful critters up close & personal (well, almost) ... so we should be thanking people like you for reading & commenting. But that said ... yes, the babies were special.
Mar 13, 2020 15:59:06 #
Sylvias wrote:
They often suck their trunks when very young as a soother and are around six months old when they have full control of them. I spent some time in Sri Lanka at an elephant orphanage, bottle feeding the youngsters. Also getting in the river and giving the adult ones a good scrub with a hard brush whilst they laid down. They moaned and groaned with pleasure. It was a great experience.
Now that sounds like an awesome experience. Shortly, after we arrived in Kenya, we visited the David Saheldrick Elephant Orphanage Nairobi ... neither Keith nor I have highlighted that visit, preferring to shoot animals in their native habitat. However, when I was able to put the hundreds of people (we were included) out of the picture, it was an amazing experience. That group rescues orphaned baby elephants, rehabilitates them & then releases them back into the wild. I was quite impressed with the # of efforts the Kenyans have created to either protect wildlife or reestablish them. I'm planning 4 more posts from Africa ... focusing on predators & then taking a break. But maybe when I am faced with mud season here in Northern VT, I'll go back into my Africa photos & share some photos of that elephant orphanage. In the meantime, I admire people like you who have worked to save these animals. Thank you for sharing that.
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