kenya – TwistedSifter

Sudan, the World’s Last Male Northern White Rhino, Dies at 45

Only two female northern white rhinos remain—the last of their kind on Earth

Photograph by Glyn Edmunds via Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Sudan, the world’s last surviving male northern white rhino, was put to rest at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya where he lived for the past 9 years. Now, only two female northern white rhinos remain at the conservancy—the last of their kind on Earth.

Rhinoceroses—of which there are five species—are the second-largest land mammal after elephants. To learn more about Sudan, you can read a lengthy tribute on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy website. He was deeply loved by all at Ol Pejeta especially his caregivers who spent every day with him and developed close relationships with him.

via Ol Pejeta Conservancy on Facebook

First Known Video Footage of Rare Snow White Giraffe Captured in Kenya

Conservation Rangers were stunned by the discovery of the extremely rare, snow white (leucistic) giraffe

Photograph by Hirola Conservation Programme

Rangers from the Hirola Conservation Programme were left stunned after the discovery of an extremely rare, snow white (leucistic) giraffe and her calf. Leucism is a condition in which there is partial loss of pigmentation in an animal resulting in white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales or cuticle, but not the eyes. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in multiple types of pigment, not just melanin. [source]

Rumours had circulated of a white giraffe and her baby in the local area of the Ishaqbini conservation, in Garissa County, Kenya, but the conservation rangers finally got to see the real thing after a tip off last June. The group of giraffes appeared calm as the Rangers got closer and seemed undeterred by their presence.

Sightings of white giraffes have also been reported in Tanzania’s Tarangire National park, however the video embedded below from Kenya is the first known video footage of the rare, snow white giraffe.

[via Hirola Conservation Programme]

Photograph by Hirola Conservation Programme

Eating Breakfast with Giraffes in Kenya

Guests of Giraffe Manor can expect visits from the resident Rothschild Giraffes that drop by for snacks from their 140 acre sanctuary.

Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
Website | Flickr | Facebook

Dating back to the 1930s, Giraffe Manor is one of Nairobi’s iconic historical buildings. Situated on 140 acres (57 hectares) of land, the property is a sanctuary for one of the most endangered subspecies of giraffe in the world, Rothschild’s giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi).

For the fortunate guests that stay at Giraffe Manor, they can expect a visit from the herd of resident Rothschild Giraffes that like to drop by in the mornings and evenings to sniff out some snacks before venturing back into their sanctuary.

Initially built as a family home, Giraffe Manor was acquired by Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville, whose work with the endangered Rothschild Giraffe has become renowned worldwide. Their efforts of rearing and re-introducing giraffe to the wild have had a considerable impact on the increasing number of the species. The African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (set up by the Leslie-Melvilles) continues to protect and nurture the Rothschild Giraffe.

Giraffe Manor is located in the Lang’ata suburb of Nairobi, Kenya. The manor features 10 rooms and can accommodate up to 25 guests. Previous notable visitors include: Mick Jagger, Walter Cronkite, Johnny Carson, Brooke Shields, Richard Branson and Ewan McGregor. For room rates, availability and activities, visit the official website. You can also find traveler reviews on TripAdvisor.

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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
Website | Flickr | Facebook

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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
Website | Flickr | Facebook

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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
Website | Flickr | Facebook

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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
Website | Flickr | Facebook

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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
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Photograph by Giraffe Manor/The Safari Collection
Website | Flickr | Facebook

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Recreating Scenes from the Lion King While on an Actual Safari

Redditor and fellow Canadian Brandon Heuser recently took the trip of a lifetime to the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. After returning to his hometown of Vancouver, he decided to rewatch Disney’s The Lion King. Throughout the film he caught himself saying, “hey I have a photo like that!”.

Feeling inspired, he decided to take stills from the movie and compare them to photos he had taken on his trip. The results were shared last month on Reddit. The accompanying 24-picture album on Imgur has been viewed over 350,000 times since. While not every shot is ‘identical’ (e.g., Rafiki is a mandrill not a baboon) the similarities are quite astounding.

Back home Brandon is the owner of Black Tie Rings, a small business that specializes in tungsten carbide rings.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve is a large game reserve in Narok County, Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Mara Region, Tanzania. It is globally famous for its exceptional population of lions, leopards and cheetahs, and the annual migration of zebra, Thomson’s gazelle, and wildebeest to and from the Serengeti every year from July to October, known as the Great Migration.

The Maasai Mara covers some 1,510 km2 (583 sq mi) in south-western Kenya. It is the northern-most section of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, which covers some 25,000 km2 (9,700 sq mi) in Tanzania and Kenya. [Source]

[via Reddit, Imgur]