Nairobi Park’s Rhino Unit: Noble calling, or Kamikaze Ranger
It takes a special kind of person to fight for our Rhinos
Resilience of a rhino unit ranger
In today’s politically correct world (saying mixologist instead of barman/maid) a ranger based in the Nairobi National Park’s (NNP) Rhino Monitoring and Protection Unit would likely be addressed as ‘Head Contemporary Rhinocerotidae Protection Analyst and Full-time Protector and Restorer of the Earth’s Endangered Fauna.’
Rhino unit ranger on patrol in Nairobi Park
On assignment
My colleague and I were embedded for five days with one of the rhino unit teams, in order to better understand the intricacies behind rhino protection. The rhino unit focuses entirely on one species, and its rangers are trained in all things rhino.
A ranger camp within Nairobi Park
Three-hour-long patrols
Every day, starting six am, they go on foot patrol in the park, looking to spot their charges in order to ensure and document their condition. There are also evening and static patrols, plus through-the-night-radio communication, to ensure that all is well.
“When you wake up in the morning, you don’t know where the rhinos are, but you are tasked with looking for them anyway.”
Early-morning patrol
Slumming it for the sake of our rhinos
Living in tents scattered in various (sometimes mobile) locations across the 117-square kilometre park, these all-male teams display a remarkable level of dedication to their duties. A ranger’s default setting when he is on duty is alertness.
“These are wild animals and one cannot afford to be unaware of their surroundings. It would be like bringing Godzilla home and expecting him to have the table manners of a Spanish grandee.”
Rhino in the wild
The park is sectioned off into several blocks, each of which must be patrolled. On our first day, we accompanied the rangers on patrol. I was unprepared for the massive dose of reality that was a break-of-dawn, three-hour trudge through knee-length, wet grass and squelching mud.
As we walked, I wondered why none of the trio of rangers accompanying us seemed to be mentally composing a brusque resignation letter.
Early morning/late afternoon is the best time for patrols, because wildlife is more active when temperatures are cooler.
Patrols cannot be completed in a flea’s leap – the rangers must cover a large patch of ground, taking note of animal tracks and droppings, and scouring the area for human activities.
“Poaching has markedly reduced, but we are not out of the woods yet. In times past, the poaching gangs’ greed usually caused them to regroup and plan fresh attacks. We must never rest on our laurels.”
I learned that the presence of birds (suddenly flying upwards in unison) is an indicator of there being large wildlife nearby. Male rhinos mark their territory by defecating (then spreading it around by scratching at it) and urinating, as well. I daresay cleanliness ninjas might conclude that a case could be made for every bad thing in life coming back to these insalubrious habits.
Buffalo in Nairobi Park
Fierce battles erupt when rival, recalcitrant males’ trespass on marked territory. Female rhinos, on the other hand, do not bother with such shows of aggression – the concept of feminism and the gender equality movement having seemingly not pinged on their radar. They simply poop and move on, waiting for the males to woo and breed them.
We came across a herd of buffalo, their pungent stench invading our noses and striking terror into my being. The rangers cautiously proceeded with their patrol, informing us that herds were unlikely to charge at us - solo buffalo were however, to be carefully observed, and scared off when necessary. So undeterred were they by the belligerent-looking beefy bovines that I felt some of my palpitations at their proximity recede.
At one point, I asked why they didn’t simply fire off bullets into the air to scare off the grazing ungulates. Incredulous, they explained that doing so might enrage the animals and cause them to charge at us.
Rhino rangers prefer to observe the wildlife with minimum disturbance to avoid threating/disturbing them in their natural habitat. The lengths to which they will go to avoid interfering with their charges is an impressive juxtaposition between Tarzan meets Sir David Attenborough.
Hours into the patrol, the Sergeant stopped walking and held up his right hand, bent at the elbow.
Heart pounding, I watched as he stuck his right index finger into his mouth and held it up in what I later came to learn was a wind-sock move, checking the strength and direction of the wind. He then gestured at us to move upwind, to the left. When he handed me his pair of binoculars, I was astonished to spot a black rhino lower its head to browse. This was the first sighting, two hours after we commenced the patrol.
All details about the rhinos sighted must be recorded, e.g. if found engaging in coitus, then the possibility of a new calf after fifteen months increases. These records assist the management in decision-making, such as the distribution of resources.
Triumphant sighting
Sighting rhino is a triumphant moment for all the rangers; akin to acquiring sensation in a part of their body that was numb prior to the sighting, rather like a phantom limb.
If these rangers can find any sort of silver lining in braving the challenges wrought by Mother Nature in order to protect vulnerable wildlife, it is that the ever-snapping jaws of extinction are rendered toothless against their victims.
Recording of particulars about rhinos seen during patrol
For the love of conservation
The job of Head Contemporary Rhinocerotidae Protection Analyst and Part-time Restorer and Protector of the Earth’s Endangered Fauna is by no means, an easy one. A person holding this position doesn’t necessarily have to be a type A personality, but they do require an abundance of patience, fearlessness and passion.
What this job personifies, is a 365-day-a-year practice in resilience.
Nairobi park is adjacent to Nairobi city. Picture courtesy KWS
Park Highlights
The sole wildlife park in the world that is a stone's throw from a major city
Black rhinoceros - endangered
First park to be gazetted in Kenya (December 16, 1946)
Major rhino sanctuary for breeding and restocking other parks
Diverse birdlife: Upwards of 400 bird species at least 20 of which are seasonal European migrants.
Home to over 100 mammal species, four of the Big Five (lion, buffalo, leopard, rhino)
Spectacular wildebeest and zebra migration
Large predators- lion, leopard, hyena and cheetah.
Aggregations of large herbivores- eland, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest
Iconic Ivory Burning Site Monument
Walking trails at hippo pools
Nairobi Safari Walk & the Orphanage.
Spacious picnic sites
How to get there
By Road: Distance: 10km South of Nairobi City Center
By Air: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Wilson Airports
Support the work of the Nairobi National Park rhino Monitoring and Protection Unit by visiting the park and viewing the wildlife that call this place home. Visiting parks support local livelihoods and protect wildlife for generations to come.
