A Heart-warming Photo Essay: Kenyans Protecting their Wildlife

Emily Deemer Feb 10, 2014

Baby rhino sleeps with park ranger — *A ranger takes a nap during an overnight shift with three orphaned rhinos in Kenya. © Ami Vitale via New York Times Lens*

The New York Times Lens recently featured a heart-warming photo essay highlighting how local communities in Kenya are working to protect their endangered wildlife.

In the photo above, a ranger named Kamara is sleeping with three orphaned rhino, opens in new tabcalves at Kenya’s Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, opens in new tab. The baby rhino he’s resting on was abandoned when his mother was poached at the nearby Ol Pejeta Conservancy, 50 miles away from Lewa.

Rhino guards in Kenya — *Rangers use bloodhounds to track poachers in the 62,000-acre Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. © Ami Vitale*

Check out the full article – “It Takes a Village to Protect a Rhino”, opens in new tab – to see more uplifting wildlife photos from Kenya and an interview with photographer Ami Vitale. She is working on an important photography and multimedia project to educate the greater public about how local communities in northern Kenya have been successful in protecting wildlife from poachers.

Visit www.iSafari.com, opens in new tab to start planning a trip to see a multitude of wildlife in Kenya, and make sure to include a trip to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, opens in new tab, where these photos were taken. Lewa is home to over 70 animal species, including more than 10 percent of Kenya’s endangered black rhinos and 20% of the endangered Grevy’s zebras in the world.