Meet Fatu & Najin, the last two remaining Northern White Rhino on the planet. They are both female. They are protected round the clock by armed rangers. And, neither of them can carry a rhino embryo to term. Visiting this mother and daughter in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, in the Laikipia plateau of Kenya, had been a priority of mine for years.
However, it wasn’t just Najin & Fatu that drew me to Ol Pejeta. For me, it was also important to meet the Armed Rangers & Canine Anti-Poaching Unit of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. These individuals risk their lives to protect the world's most endangered wildlife – wildlife that humanity has decimated for greed (black markets in Asia) or gloating (European colonial-era trophy hunting).
From facing opposing fire from poachers, to being encircled by a pride of lions during a night operation, it takes more than courage for a human being to do this job. John, the lead spokesman for the Rangers, tells me that the armed Rangers have the green light to shoot to kill (a poacher). The objective of this drastic measure is clear: to send an unequivocal message that poaching will not be tolerated. The stakes are simply too high.
The conservation of wildlife and habitats is not possible without the work of individuals who are willing to risk their lives to protect wild animals. Rangers play a critical role in conserving our planet’s biodiversity and wildlife. Without them, we would have no Najin & Fatu today. We would have no elephants, no Black rhinos, no Southern White rhinos, no big cats, nor any exotic wildlife that humanity has deemed lucrative or highly coveted.
John (right) and a fellow member of the Canine Anti-Poaching Unit of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya., with Diego, one of the sniffer bloodhounds trained to track & find poachers.
Yet, rarely do we ever read or hear about the brown, indigenous men & women of color, of modest means, who risk their lives to protect wildlife. The glory of conservation in our media, usually goes to White men & women: researchers, biologists, photographers with brand endorsements, and the like from the wealthier (and let’s be frank, White) world. A flip through the pages of National Geographic underscores this void both in terms of the demographics of its contributors, and in the subjects upon whom its reverence is bestowed. However, the true conservationists and conservation heroes of this planet are not the Jane Goodalls, David Attenboroughs, or Frans Lantings of the world (although they and others like them are aptly recognized for their significant contributions to conservation), the true conservation heroes are the anonymous, indigenous men & women of color around the world who risk their lives, for no fame or fortune, to protect endangered wildlife in Africa; to protect the Amazon from destruction; to safeguard the precious flora & fauna in their pockets of the world. The merit – all of it – goes to them.
John, one of the members of the Canine Anti-Poaching Unit, with Drum, a Spaniel trained to track and find gunpowder in the field, during a gunpowder tracking exercise with me.
Ironically, poachers (typically poor Africans) do not reap the profits of the illegal wildlife trade. Likewise the armed Rangers do not reap the profits of the lucrative safari industry – though, in each case, both the rangers and poachers assume the greatest risk.
Social equity in tourism around the equator including in the safari industry & wildlife conservation is still lacking. The majority of guides on safaris are Africans (indigenous Africans), experts in their craft, and excellent stewards of their natural environment. With their innate expertise, most of these guides should and could be able to own and operate their own safari tour operators and camps. However, in spite of their unique expertise, the best African guides cannot profitably run their own safari companies because the gatekeepers of the industry (travel/ booking agents) won’t play ball with them. Currently, safari booking agents with access to international tourists, preclude and prevent African (indigenous) guides and their startups from gaining access to the international wildlife tourism market. Effectively, booking agents keep the gates closed for Africans who are otherwise more than qualified to run their own safari companies.
As a professional BIPOC from the United States, with disposable income to go on a safari, and whose roots come from tropical locale whose economy also thrives on tourism, this outdated, if not racist, model of inequity in the industry bothers me, greatly. This status quo of modern colonialism is well overdue for a change - especially if conservation is to truly be successful. I am writing this piece to challenge, not only the safari industry, but exotic tourism at large, to change - and not just symbolically but in effect.
It is time we start recognizing the contributions of BIPOCs (around the world) to the fight for conservation, and to the wildlife safari tourism industry, by removing the gates that prevent Africans from gaining and reaping the benefits of ownership, profits and equity in wildlife tourism and conservation.
I also challenge would be travelers and safari goers to demand a more equitable market; and demand the option of African-owned safari camps and tour operators from wildlife tourism booking agents. As consumers & travelers, we have the power to demand better from hotels, bush camps, tour operators and, above all, from third-party safari booking travel agents, who are the de facto gatekeepers of the industry.
It can’t be that the BIPOCs who do the bulk of the work in the industry – at the hotels, safari bush camps, safari tour operators, as guides, askaris, managers, housekeeping, or cooking staff, don’t have any equity ownership. Yes, providing income to African local communities through tourism employment, scholarship opportunities, community initiatives & improvements, and land leases to land-owning ethnic communities is great – it really is – but let’s not delude ourselves. Money (equity) talks. This is particularly true if you’re the one doing all the work but not reaping the lucrative profits. It’s time indigenous peoples of color get their hard-earned share of the profits pie – they’ve already earned it.
Circling back to Najin & Fatu, the fact that there are only two (female) Northern White Rhinos left on the planet, we humans are to blame for. The current plight of the Northern White Rhino stands and will remain a grave lesson for humanity. And, although there is a faint glimmer of hope of saving the Northern White Rhino from its present extinction (through unprecedented invitro embryo surrogacy techniques being experimented), we should pause and reflect on the gravity of the Northern White Rhino’s predicament. Simply put, we humans fucked up and the universe is holding us accountable.
Najin & Fatu both have a deformity in their hind legs – resulting from living on the hard, concrete floor of the zoo in Europe where they were kept – far from the soil & warmth of their natural environment. This prevents Najin from being able to be mounted by a male and support the weight of that male or of an embryo. In fact, as fate would have it, neither Najin or Fatu can carry a rhino embryo to term. It’s as if the universe were telling us humans: “You’re not getting off the hook so easily.”
So, we should pause and reflect on the patterns of human conduct, commerce, trade, actions, and attitudes that have brought us here today: to the point of having only two females of an entire sub-species of one of the few extant megafauna we were lucky to inherit on Earth.
After all, was it not the allure & wonder of bringing back dinosaurs – creatures that once existed (before us) and no longer were – that made Jurassic Park one of the highest grossing films of all time?
Why is it that while we humans are fascinated with the beasts that roam and have roamed this planet – as demonstrated by the box office success of the Lion King, Jaws and Jurassic Park – we simultaneously can’t seem to get rid of them fast enough?
Fatu, one of the last two Northern White Rhino.
Frankly, I could have spent all day watching these majestic, living dinosaurs, up close and in person, in their natural habitat – where they always belonged – revelling in their quiet & graceful company.
A Southern White Rhino (left) accompanies Fatu & Najin, the last two remaining Northern White Rhino. Although the two sub-species are similar, there are several differences between the two, including the shape of their backs, shape of their skulls, skin texture, the presence or absence of hair/fur around the ears & tails, and size, among many other differences.
If you are reading this from a city in the United States or Europe, you may wonder, well, what does this have to do with me? Perhaps you’re not a trophy hunter and you don’t consume exotic wildlife parts for medicinal purposes or your luxe collection. You may mistakenly believe you can’t change the status quo. However, in visiting and supporting conservancies in Africa (and elsewhere) you can indeed help put the brakes on extinction. Conservancies are private lands (whether owned by indigenous ethnic communities or former cattle ranches) that have been converted and re-wilded into natural habitats for African wildlife. Conservancies play a vital role in expanding wildlife habitats beyond the thresholds of national parks and reserves, and provide much needed revenue to fund anti-poaching measures, such as armed and unarmed rangers, and specially-trained canines.
Zacharia Mutai, the caretaker of endangered Norther White Rhinos, Najin and Fatu, and of Baraka, a blind, Black Rhino, under the conservancy’s care.
If you want to see, or you want your children and grandchildren to see lions, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, elephants, and the rest, ditch the local zoo/circus/aquarium, and make the effort to see these creatures in their natural habitat, on an ethical, conservation-focused safari in a conservancy, with a responsible, sustainable, and equitable safari operator and camp. This preserves habitats and prevents the land from being degraded, or converted for agriculture or human development. There is no substitute for being in the presence of animals that are wild & free, in their natural habitats, as Nature intended. In the process of doing so, we underscore the principle that holding animals in captivity, under any pretense, whether for profit, entertainment or education, is not the way we humans should appreciate the rich, bio-diverse company with whom we are fortunate to share this planet.
A pride of lions feasts on a wildebeest at dawn in the Naboisho Conservancy in Kenya.
I for one went with Asilia Africa for this expedition, one of the founding members of the Mara Naboisho Conservancy bordering the Masai Mara National Reserve. I learned of Asilia Africa because of a past partnership they did with IFAW. In the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, I stayed at Asilia’s wonderful, intimate, vintage-style Ol Pejeta Bush Camp, a camp originally founded by renowned veteran safari guide, Alex Hunter. My guide and the management at the Ol Pejeta Bush Camp are worth their weight in gold. They are also die-hard, ethical environmental stewards (stopping and stepping out of the vehicle to remove the slightest speck of unwanted human debris or plastic spotted during any drive.) The Asilia camps are all sustainable (solar powered) and the Ol Pejeta Bush Camp is equipped with an electric safari vehicle. (I am told, unofficially, the entire Asilia fleet will eventually be EV in the near future.) My guide at Asilia’s Mara Encounter camp in the Naboisho Conservancy, a young woman in her 20s from the Maasai community, was able to become a wildlife safari guide with the help of Asilia’s local scholarships.
Then, pushing the forefront of social equity in this industry even further are companies like The Wild Source, who encourage & support African ownership opportunities and their access to international guests. In addition, there is the Il Ngwesi Lodge, a camp completely owned and managed by the local, indigenous, Il Ngwesi community.
So if you want to help put the brakes on extinction, go on an ethical and equitable, conservation-focused safari.
Elizabeth Cerda
Baraka, a blind, senior Black Rhino under the Conservancy’s care. Due to his condition, Baraka would not be able to survive on his own in the wild.
Acknowledgements:
I’d like to take a moment to thank the individuals who helped make this adventure the wonderful & memorable experience it was.
In no particular order other than that of appearance: Jess Bazaille; Alex Hunter (what a fortuitous way to initiate this safari); Miriam; Wanje; my incredible Guide at Ol Pejeta, Nelson Kary (who I am convinced is actually a natural world super hero hiding under the uniform of a guide, and whose unwavering positivity mere mortals can only aspire to); Ol Pejeta Camp Managers, Sushil Chauhan, and Antony for their excellence (and wit); Ol Pejeta camp staff: Elizabeth Naini, Patrick (my “uber”), Mercy, Duncan, Anthony (great spotter) and the rest of the wonderful team there; Ol Pejeta Conservancy staff, including Zacharia Mutai; Chris of the Ecological Monitoring Unit; and of course, the armed and unarmed Rangers and members of the Canine Anti-Poaching Unit of the Conservancy and KWS.
Continuing with my fabulous Guide at Mara Encounter, Prescious Senewa (great fun, laughs galore); Mara Encounter Camp Managers (Lenkoko, Timothy, Eddie, and Betty); Mara Encounter camp staff, Robert, Julius, all of the Askaris, and the rest of the team - thank you for a wonderful time; the women and children of the Maasai community I visited; Kasaine Sankan and Dominic Sakat of the Mara Predator Conservation Program; and my wonderful Guide in Nairobi, Racheal Kabue (what a great time in Nairobi). Thank you also to the nameless, faceless behind-the-scenes staff who I did not get to meet personally, but who nonetheless made my experience unforgettable.
Note: The opinions expressed in this piece are strictly the author’s (my own), and do not represent the views, opinions, or beliefs of any individual, organization, or entity mentioned herein.