White rhino in Nairobi

It is always a thrill to see Rhino in the wild, just a few weeks ago I saw a family group of White Rhino peacefully grazing near Kingfisher picnic site. That reminded me of the exciting event in October 2009 when 10 White Rhino were successfully translocated to Nairobi from Lake Nakuru National Park.

By amazing coincidence, I just happened to be near the Hyena dam just after 18h00 on the evening of the first release, it was a fantastic sight to witness as the first white rhino stepped out of the transport crate. I was also very fortunate to see the first white rhino calf born shortly after their arrival, the mother and calf then settled into life in Nairobi National Park.

White Rhino are different from Black Rhino in a number of ways, firstly white rhino are considerably larger but more placid than the tempermental and often aggressive black rhino. White Rhino are grass grazers while black rhino eat off scrubs and plants.

There is absolutely no colour difference in the two sub-species, the White Rhino gets its name from the dutch (Afrikaans) “Wyd” meaning wide, due to their square mouths designed for grazing, the black rhino just became the opposite colour of white.

The Nairobi Park has a healthy population of Black Rhino and a growing White Rhino population. A few months after the first white rhino were released into the Nairobi National Park, I also had the privilege of seeing the first white rhino calf born in the park, what an incredible moment.

If you are looking for somewhere to go to “escape the maddening crowd”, then the Nairobi Park is such a place, Awake early, drive slowly, relax and let nature come to you, hopefully you will be rewarded with a wonderful white rhino sighting as you look for them grazing grass on the plains.

For more information on the park link to the following website www.kws.go.ke