Near Nairobi, Kenya / April 2012

Another animal experience from the same game reserve as photo 38) ‘Muddy Water Buffalo’. This was a lot later in the day and we came upon them just lying there and got to within 15 feet. They were comfortable and weren’t going to move. I think carting all that weight around all day is tiresome. We were so close that I didn’t need to use a telephoto lens for this shot.

It’s so sad that these animals are on the endangered list, all because some cultures think that rhino horns have virility powers for men. The horns are ground down and snorted like cocaine. And all for the sake of a few rich men with big egos, poachers are rewarded with huge amounts of money. Many poachers risk their lives killing and sawing off rhino horns or elephant tusks for the ivory trade. The money they make is like winning the lottery. They could make more than 5 to 10 years of a normal wage for a successful kill.

One of these rhinos likely weighed more than our car with us in it!