Saturday, October 3, 2020

Rhinos and Baboons

These photos are from my archives and were taken in Nakuru, Kenya, East Africa. 

The first photo  was taken from the north side of Lake Nakuru on a return trip to see the Menengai Crater.  You get a glorious view of the lake as you approach the city from the north.  I will try to share photos of my visit to the crater in another post. Today's post is about Lake Nakuru and the wildlife park situated there.

 

The next view of the lake is from Baboon Cliff Point in Lake Nakuru Provincial Park.  The point is situated on the western side of Lake Nakuru and the views from the top are fantastic.  It's one of my favourite spots in the park.  The name derives from the fact that so many baboons are living in this particular area of the park.

I'm only sharing two of the photos of the baboons. There were so many baboons and they are quite mischievous. They will enter your car and take things if you are not keeping a close watch.  The monkeys do the same.

Here you can see baboons climbing all over the parked cars.


The rhinos in the next two photos were an awesome site. These rhinos are called black rhinos though the colour can range from brown to grey.  The World Wildlife Fund for Nature Kenya  has been working with the government and other organizations and people of goodwill, to save the black rhinos from poaching and loss of habitat and so the population has more than doubled over the past 25 years.  You can read more about black rhino conservation needs and efforts here. Sadl, the Northern White Rhino is virtually extinct. Just over a year ago, Kenya harvested the eggs of the two last white female rhinos in the northern part of the country.  They are hoping to fertilize them with the sperm of the last male white rhino that died in Sudan in March 2018.  You can read more about white rhinos here.

I took a little time to see many wild animals both in zoos and in their natural habitat while I've been on missions trips to the very poor in Kenya.  I feel so very fortunate to have had the opportunity to see many of these wonderful creatures in their natural habitat.  My hope is that through the good will and good work of people in Kenya and around the globe, these majestic creatures will not go extinct while we can still do something to save them. The largest threats to their survival are poaching and loss of habitat.  If you love wild animals please consider a gift to those that work in conservation.  If, like me, you are interested in alleviating the suffering of the very poor who barely eke out a living, kindly read more at the various links on the side bar and consider being a change maker along with me. During this global pandemic they are suffering even  more than usual.


I hope you enjoyed this brief post on Kenyan wildlife. I'm joining up with Eileen's, Saturday's Critters meme today.  Please come and visit this space again soon.

Enjoy your weekend and stay safe.

26 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello Penny,

I love the views of the lake, what a beautiful sight. The baboons do look mischievous but still fun to see. I would love to see the rhinos, what an awesome sight. It is sad to hear of any animal being close to extinction, like the White Rhino. The people need to find a way to make money other than by poaching. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your day! Have a happy weekend! PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

Elkes Lebensglück said...

A nice and interesting post about the rhinos and baboons! It's great that you are so committed to saving the animals!
Greeting Elke

Jan said...

Amazing photos of the wildlife, it is always interesting to read about your visits to Kenya and thank you for the reminder of ways to help both in conservation projects and those that help people struggling in poverty and poor health systems.

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Beautiful creatures and scenery! Are the baboons dangerous or just mischievous? And what about the Rhinos? They are such interesting animals. You are blessed to have been able to see such magnificent land and animals and people. Thank you for sharing that part of our world with us.

Rhodesia said...

Fabulous photos I presume the rhinos you are talking about are the Northern White Rhinos, I am not sure quite what the difference is but the Southern White Rhino has done fairly well with breeding plans and there are more white than black in the South. Sadly though of course it is a constant battle with poaching 😡 I guess the problem will become even worse now, as making money while COVID is around is not so easy as just finding a job!

Take care and have a good weekend Diane

Joyful said...

Thanks Jan. I'm happy to see you again.

Joyful said...

Thank you for stopping by Elke.

Joyful said...

Hi Pamela, the baboons can be dangerous if they are feeling a threat; particularly the male baboon. Of course baboons are wild animals though they freely roam around the humans that are in the park. It is best to keep your eyes open in this park as it is home to all kinds of wildlife including lions.

Joyful said...

Hi Eileen, yes it is difficult to realize that there are many animals close to extinction. It is hard to put an end to poaching when there is so much poverty in these countries and few ways of making a decent living. Have a great weekend.

Joyful said...

Thank you for your kind words Diane. Yes I am talking about the Northern White Rhino. I will make that clarification in my post. I'm glad to hear the Southern White Rhino is doing better though I know that the gains made are tenuous when poaching is still rampant.

Mae Travels said...

You are lucky to have seen these remarkable animals! Their extinction will be a tragedy for humanity.

be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Yvonne said...

It's a sad human trait that poaching and loss of habitat is happening worldwide. Sometimes I think it's a battle already lost, as so many humans think their own lives are more important, and don't grasp the concept that all of life is connected together. I'm glad you care so much. Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment.

Rain said...

Those are some fantastic photos. What an adventure...thank you so much for sharing!

Inger said...

In an effort to become more creative with my blogging, I'm also going through blogs to find old friends that I can now begin to follow again. And yours was the first one I found. I consider myself lucky! I love this post, I hope all is well with you and I will add you to my list of favorite blogs.

Lowcarb team member said...

Thank you for sharing these archive photographs.

All the best Jan

Joanne Noragon said...

Extraordinary!

Small City Scenes said...

Such a beautiful landscape. How interesting to see baboons just being themselves. haha.
The Rhinos are a story unto themselves I am sure.
Thanks for visiting my blog
MB

Nancy Chan said...

Beautiful lake view. Nice to see the rhinos and baboons. Have a great weekend.

Joyful said...

I do count myself lucky and I'm really hoping that all the wild animals can bounce back in good numbers.

Joyful said...

Yes it is very sad and I think all life is valuable.

Joyful said...

Thank you Rain. It was definitely an adventure.

Joyful said...

Hello Inger, it has been a long while. I'm glad you found me as I've wondered from time to time what happened to you. Your comments mean a lot and I'm glad you enjoyed my post.

Joyful said...

Thanks Jan.

Joyful said...

Thank you for stopping by. I'm glad you enjoyed the post.

Joyful said...

Thank you Nancy. You have a great week ahead.

stardust said...

Your photos from Kenya is intriguing. The lake view is beautiful and baboons and rhinos are so impressive. Hope the habitat of wildlife is preserved and kept safe for them. Have happy days ahead.

Yoko

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