The reticulated giraffe is local to this part of central Kenya. The Masai giraffe and Rothschild's giraffe can be found elsewhere, and each is easily distinguishable by its pattern.
Question: How many giraffes are in this picture? Answer below.
Two Giraffes, 2006 (above). Two Reticulated giraffes come to lick salt at the nearby Tented Camp. Bending low for water or salt, giraffes are at their most vulnerable position. Here, they take turns watching the nearby animals at the water hole.
Elephant Drinking, 2006. An African elephant uses its trunk to drink from one of several water troughs within the Reserve. The troughs are provided so that the animals need not venture outside of the enclosed Reserve for water.
Rhinos Drinking, 2006. Ishirini and her calf approach a waterhole in the Reserve to drink some much needed water. Although the Reserve is cut by two rivers, waterholes provide relief for the game animals, insuring that they needn't wander too far to drink.
Rodney, 2006.
The main aim of our research is to consider and determine the sustainability of an enclosed reserve for the preservation of wildlife. The most important aspect of this being the preservation of endangered black rhinos within the borders of such reserves. Our mission was aimed at studying the browsing effects of these, and other competing animals, and the possibility that enclosed reserves will be the standard for wildlife preservation in the near future. This is a photo of Rodney, a large adult male seen from the landrover one afternoon. He is identified by the notches in his ears.
The Laughing Zebra, 2006.
A common, or Burchell's, zebra reacts to the presence of the landrover. The Sweetwaters Black Rhino Reserve contains about 1000 common zebra, but only a handful of the endangered Grevy's zebra.
(Left 4 images) Fleeing Animals, 2006. Clockwise, from top left: a flock of weaver birds are flushed beyond a zebra; a Marabou Stork takes flight from the Tented Camp waterhole; a young baboon scampers across a dirt road; and a group of female impala run away from our approach in the landrover.
Cape Buffalo, 2006. We saw huge herds of cape buffalo on our night game drives and on early morning drives to our work site, but as the day wore on they'd lie in the shade, out of the hot sun. Considered by many to be the most dangerous animal in Africa, lone bulls are edgy, aggressive, and unpredictable.
(Above) Wary Giraffe, 2006.A male giraffe peers at us over some bushes. Click on the image to view a full picture of the scene. This is might be a Masai Giraffe.(Left) Giraffe on the Road, 2006. A giraffe blocks the road ahead, ambling along in front of the landrover.
Warthogs, 2006.
Three warthogs pose under a lanky acacia. Most likely this is a female with two youngsters. The guard told us they have small brains. On being chased by a lion, they run for about 50 meters or so, then forget why they were running and stop. The lion would eventually join them for dinner. Despite such obvious shortcomings as memory retention and looks, they are very tolerant of heat and drought, and there doesn't seem to be any shortage of these wild pigs in the Reserve, although outside of the parks they are regarded as a nuisance and have been basically eliminated from farming areas.
Various sightings at Sweetwaters:
Top row, left: Three Waterbucks grazing on the brown hardly seem to notice as we pass by in the landrover.
Right: A magnificent male Beisa Oryx, always too wary to approach very closely. There are not many of these oryx in the Reserve, so seeing one was always a highlight.
Middle row, left:Three Impala maneuver the muck at Tented Camp's waterhole. Tourists can sit outside their luxury rooms and watch wild animals approach this permanent waterhole.
Right: An adult Olive Baboon shuffles away from the intruding landrover. We saw many troops of baboons during out stay, and some even climbed the acacias outside the Research Center to pick seed pods.
Bottom row, left: A thirsty Common Warthog approaches the Tented Camp's waterhole.
Right: An elusive Black-backed Jackal watches us anxiously before trotting off into the nearby brush. This wild dog is very common in dry Acacia savannas, and is treated as vermin in nearby pastoral farmlands.
Answer: There are three giraffes in that photograph above. One leaning left, one leaning right, and one in the rear with its head down.
Sweetwaters Black Rhino Reserve, Kenya, July 2006.
The animals on the Reserve were plentiful, and healthy, but in keeping their distance from humans, the photo opportunities were a challenge. We would see so many animals as we drove around the Reserve, and the reaction was always the same: we were amazed, and wanted to photograph each one.
