Conservancies have seen rhino populations grow from 15 to 169

We are taking advantage of a free drive-through Lewa, the trailblazing wildlife conservancy, having spent a weekend at Il Ngwesi, the neighbouring conservancy belonging to the Il Lakipiak Maasai – ‘people of wildlife’.  The two conservancies have a special bond as models of wildlife conservancies belonging to the local communities.

Lewa’s story begins with the rhino. When it seemed like Kenya was on the verge of losing her indigenous population of the black rhino in the 1980s, Lewa created the first rhino sanctuary in the country - Ngare Sergoi Rhino Sanctuary. With its gaining visitors, the sanctuary morphed into Lewa Wildlife Conservancy which boasts one of the highest wildlife densities in Kenya including 12 percent of the country’s black and white rhinos, and the world’s single largest population of Grevy’s zebra.

And we are not disappointed.

The first on our list is a lone white rhino on a high ridge on the sun-scorched grass plains mowing the land with his broad lips to the ground. That’s the easiest way to tell the two species apart for the black holds its head up to browse with its pointed lips.

Stephen Sankei our Maasai driver-guide from Ngwesi is on familiar ground. With no rain for close to two years in Kenya’s northern lands, endangered species like the white rhino need a little help with hay brought in to supplement their diet.

The murram road winds its way through the vast dry plains with the top of Mount Kenya giving a brief look. The rhinos are so at home here that one has its dung right by the side of the road announcing its territory.

The rhinos – both black and white – pop up here and there. If someone arrived from outer space, it would be difficult for them to imagine rhinos are a rare breed.

“Where are the lions?” asks Ejiro Osilama, new to the country and to the wilderness.

“It’s too hot for them to be out now,” replies Sankei. Living a life in the hot sun calls for adjustment. So the lions lounge in the shade during the heat of the day because unlike humans who sweat and cool down, these big cats lack sweat glands.

The plains show off the herds of finely stripped Grevy’s zebra, buffalos seated, vultures circling the air, dainty dikdiks, copper-coloured impalas and more.

Suddenly the dry plains morph into a lush green swamp and it’s a happening place. There are more finely stripped Grevy’s zebra here for the water, buffaloes immersed in the reeds, and a herd of white rhinos ‘seated’ on the muddy ground with their calves, the adults showing off their long pointed horns that have been the cause of their demise. It’s not even a true horn but keratin-bound hair that has no medicinal value leave alone being an aphrodisiac. People might as well chew their own keratin-filled nails and hair.

“The elephants haven’t moved at all,” observes our visitor at a statuesque herd.

“They sleep standing leaning against a tree or each other,” I reply with worldly wisdom. “They rarely lie down.” As if on cue, one topples over flat on the ground in deep sleep. “There are exceptions to the rule,” l state as the visitor looks on in bewilderment.

And then the true drama in the wild happens.

A young Martial eagle perched on a dry tree eyes the impalas, unaware of it. The raptor suddenly lifts and swoops downs on a fawn. It misses, the herd scampers, and the young raptor returns to its perch. With time, it will be the hunter it is famous for.

Fact File

Lewa and Il Ngwesi are fascinating to include in your safari plan.  Since 1983, Lewa’s rhino population has grown from 15 rhinos to 169 rhinos today. Merging with the neighbouring Borana Conservancy it has created 93,000 acres of continuous rhino rangeland for a growing rhino population that is 14 percent of Kenya’s entire rhino population.

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