A video that has since gone viral, claiming to be a Rhino
chasing President William Ruto, is AI-generated, the Star can confirm.
This followed a brief tense moment President Ruto had alongside
other present guests during the launch of the Tsavo West Rhino Conservation
Sanctuary on Tuesday.
In the video, a man who appears to be the President, clad in
the same clothes he wore at the launch, is seen running away from the said
Rhino.
The man is on the ground.
However, videos from the actual event show Ruto and Tourism
and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano and other guests, as well as
Rangers standing on a raised platform, at the back of a truck.
All angles of the coverage reveal that the Rhino could not
reach them.
Reports of the tense moment came after a newly freed rhino
unexpectedly turned as if charging towards the platform where President Ruto
and other officials were standing before making a quick turn.
This unexpected movement caused the president and the guests
to panic briefly, where he is then heard saying “Inataka fujo”, which
translates to “It is looking for trouble.”
The guests are then heard laughing while others clapped as
the Rhino ran into the bushes.
The newly unveiled sanctuary, spanning more than 3,200
square kilometres, is now the largest rhino sanctuary in the world.
The sanctuary will significantly accelerate the country's
long-term conservation goals of reaching 1,450 rhinos by 2030 and 2,000 rhinos
by 2037.
For decades, the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary — only 92 square
kilometres in size — has held nearly 150 black rhinos, more than two and a half
times its ecological capacity.
The extreme congestion has limited breeding, increased
territorial conflict, reduced calf survival, and placed immense stress on the
animals.
