National Geographic: The Rhino War Page #4

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because with their type of

firearm and with our types of

firearms they end up escaping

our dragnet.

The rangers are at

serious personal risk from

the armed poachers.

Their camel patrols stay out

for weeks at a time,

in touch only by radio with

park headquarters.

Despite the men's vulnerability

and outdated equipment,

they are dedicated and loyal-even

in the face of tragedy.

In December we lost our

sergeant to the

poacher's bullets.

We saw him die.

Without adequate weapons

we were helpless.

Too many of our men have fallen

because we could not

defend ourselves.

If we had automatics instead

of 303s we wouldn't be losing

our people.

With the rhino population at

such critical levels

throughout Africa,

every animal is important.

In Kenya's Masia Mara Reserve,

rangers mounted round the clock

protection for this mother

and calf,

shooting several lions who

came too close.

Worried, the rangers moved the

family to safer ground.

The calf was better protected,

but his mother kept trying to

get back to her old territory,

leaving her baby open to

attack.

The lions seized their chance.

After the incident,

the rangers turned

to Daphne Sheldrick,

who raises wounded and

orphaned animals

On one of the occasions that

she was away the lions got in

and they caught him and

actually made a real mess

of him.

Fortunately, they were young

lions and they weren't

very experienced.

But they certainly chewed

him up very,

very badly and he was dumped

on my doorstep more

dead than alive.

I must say he's fantastically

plucky little rhino.

In fact, his mother's a

very placid, dozy old cow

so I expect this had made him

have to be slightly more alert

The first thing we had to do,

of course was get a friend,

because he'd been through

tremendous trauma,

so we got the sheep.

They've been good friends ever

since and wherever Sam goes,

so the sheep follows and

they play together and

wander around together

and he'll just grow up here

until he's weaned off milk,

and then we'll have to send

him somewhere to be a

wild rhino.

Little Sam was lucky.

These rangers saved his life.

Other rhinos have been

less fortunate,

poached by the very men paid

to protect them.

The shadow of corruption has

fallen across much of Africa,

and Kenya has had her share

of officials

who have cashed in on

illegal rhino horn trade.

It became so bad during the

late 1970s

that a major international

scandal, Centering on the

president's wife, erupted and

as a result of that,

The Kenyan government

was so severely embarrassed

that it closed trade

in all wildlife products,

and that did have

a very needed effect

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