White Rhinos

Taken in the Timbavati and Sabi Sands in South Africa. C&C welcome.

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Those are some pretty nice shots

Thanks

Awsome photo's. It is nice to see such pic's outside of an inclosure like a zoo or park. However, I would imagine they were watched closely 24/7.

Loverly pics

kdvincent wrote in post #9567241
Awsome photo's. It is nice to see such pic's outside of an inclosure like a zoo or park. However, I would imagine they were watched closely 24/7.

Thanks. These were on private reserves unfenced to Kruger. I don't think they are watched 24/7 but the area is protected against poachers 24/7. There are guards at the access gates and we also saw some patrols. I was surprised at the number of white rhinos we saw. I didn't see any black rhinos this trip because they were hunted pretty much to extinction in the Greater Kruger area. I was fortunate enough to see black rhinos on previous safaris in Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana. My impression is that the black rhinos are more closely watched and studies (perhaps because there are so few in the wild and in some areas they have been reintroduced).

LordBrian wrote in post #9567648
Loverly pics

Thanks very much.

It has been 10 years since we were in Kenya and Tanzania. At that time in the Masa Mara all the Rhino we heard about were under a 24/7 watch. Hope thing are getting better for the animals.

kdvincent wrote in post #9570236
It has been 10 years since we were in Kenya and Tanzania. At that time in the Masa Mara all the Rhino we heard about were under a 24/7 watch. Hope thing are getting better for the animals.

Unfortunately, Kenya still seems to have more of a problem with poachers but I believe the black rhino population is on the increase there too.

wanyc wrote in post #9570748
Unfortunately, Kenya still seems to have more of a problem with poachers but I believe the black rhino population is on the increase there too.

I saw Black Rhino in Kenya when I was there December, feeding with some White Rhino so was very lucky.

Lord Brian - saw your photos of the rhinos, sounds like a great sighting. Maybe you can answer kdvincent's question about whether the rhinos in Kenya are still watched 24/7. I saw black rhino in the Mara and also in TZ in the crater in 2003 but don't recall them being guarded 24/7. What was your experience?

No they didn't seem guarded, the only time I saw the boys in green was up on the cliff watching for idiots driving over the grass.

It may be that certain parks need more protection but everybody I spoke to seemed to understand tourism was very valuable and protecting the animals meant they get more tourism. Of course not sure everybody gets the message but I asked about poaching in two places and they didn't seem concerned about it, more the lack of rain.

We were allowed to visit a white male in the Masa Mara in 2001. It had been raised by hand and wasn't afraid or even concerned of humans. I guess that his situation might be different, than in Kreuger. This particular animal was watched all day long and housed in a inclosure at night. They were trying to breed it and yet it was a bit afraid of wild females (aren't we all).
We are allowed to about 20 feet from the animal. Frankly scared the crap out of me. It was huge and I was slow (OK,... and fat and old). Scared or not it made the greatest impression of the whole trip.
Too bad I didn't have a digital camera.

Digging numbers 2 and 6. Great captures, looks like a fun time!

Great series, love the black and white Rhinos.

denhamcla wrote in post #9576245
Digging numbers 2 and 6. Great captures, looks like a fun time!

Cyclop wrote in post #9576258
Great series, love the black and white Rhinos.

Thanks very much.