Warming Up for the Re-Introductions
Fatu and Najin, our two female northern white rhinos, have been getting extra contact with Sudan this week in an effort to slowly re-introduce the animals in preparation for the April release into the big enclosure.
he first day went extremely well. Fatu and Najin were out in the paddock and Sudan in his adjacent boma so the rhinos could see each other and go right up to the boma. The girls were extremely friendly and Sudan was pacing up and down eager to see more of them. Fatu showed the most interest, staying close to Sudan and even losing sight of her mother who had gone grazing up at the top of the camp.
The second outing was a hot sunny day on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The girls, delighted to be out again, went straight to the bush area to find their wallow. Fatu was so preoccupied with her mud bath and having Sudan nearby that she had a small panic when she realised that Najin was nowhere near. But it was promising to see that she recovered quickly and was able to calm herself down.
Security &,, Logistics
Fencing continues to move with good progress towards completion by the end of this month. Having looked at the forecast for the next week, rain is going to be of concern once again. Ol Pejeta hasn’t looked this good for the last 5 years and considering the drought that we went through at the end of last year we really can’t complain about this unseasonal rain!
John Kebacie is team leader of Mike 2, the armed team responsible for protecting the northern white rhinos. We currently have two teams stationed at the bomas – one operating inside the fenced area and one on the outskirts. These teams only operate at night with the sole purpose of rhino protection. John oversees these teams. Outside of security John is in charge of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy capture team and has been on Ol Pejeta for 4 years.
A Welcome Reunion
We are looking forward to having everybody back out starting on the 6th of April for what will be a major move for the northern whites and the whole team working with these animals.
