Missed the Last Chance...

..To meet Max the friendly Rhino in Kenya.

A few years back I read this great book "Last Chance to See", by the late Douglas Adams, written about 20 years ago with Zoologist/photographer, Mark Carwardine, where they track down some of the worlds most endangered creatures. Then I recently watched the BBC series Last Chance to See, made over the last couple of years with Stephen Fry, where they go back to see how all the species are doing 20 years later. They visit the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where I also went last year, to see the Mountain Gorilla's. But they also featured the African Rhino's of central and eastern Africa.

On my recent safari in Kenya I was lucky enough to visit the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, part of Sweetwaters Game reserve in the North, near to Mount Kenya. Without knowing it - this was the home of Max the friendly Rhino, the hand-reared Rhino who features in the Rhino episode of the series, and was also the place where "Last Chance to See" had moved several Northern White Rhino's to breed. But we had arrived too late... Max the hand-reared Rhino was killed by poachers just 2 months ago. Made us so sad to hear this. In 2011, already 200 Rhino's across Africa have been killed by poachers, despite the fact that 3 Rhino species are listed as critically endangered. The poachers could have just walked right up to him to kill Max. He would have initially trusted them, unknowing that they were, in fact, his most deadliest predator. We chatted with our guides about poachers and while they agreed that the poachers themselves are often just poor villagers, it is the wealthy orchestrators of these crimes that need the most severe punishment. We also questioned the market - Rhino horn remains more costly than Diamonds, Gold or Cocaine. Until this is no longer the case, these magnificent giants will always remain vulnerable.  

So while we tracked the wild Black and White Rhino's that roam the 90,000 hectare conservancy, we also met one up close and personal, 'Baraka', a blind Black Rhino who is kept in an enclosure to keep him safe from poachers and so he can always have food. For added protection, albeit quite sadly, they had sawn off his horn. In more hopeful news - Mark Carwardine tweeted last week that 2 of the critically endangered Northern White Rhino's at Ol Pejeta conservancy have just mated. Can't help but wonder if it happened while I was there... magic!

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." 

— Douglas Adams (Last Chance to See)