White rhinoceros

The southern #white #rhino is a major conservation success – but with only four #animals remaining, the northern white #rhino is very close to disappearing from the wild.

Together with the greater one-horned rhino, the white rhino is the largest of all rhino species. Its name comes from the Dutch "weit" (wide), in reference to the #animal's wide muzzle. It is also known as the square-lipped rhinoceros due to its squared (not pointed) upper lip.

Compared to black rhinos, white rhinos have a longer skull, a less sharply defined forehead and a more pronounced shoulder hump. They have almost no hair and two horns. The front horn averages 60 cm, but occasionally reaches 150 cm in length.

Size: 150-185 cm in height, females weigh 1,400-1,700 kg, males weigh 2,000-3,600 kg

White rhinos appear to require thick bush cover, relatively flat terrain, water for drinking and wallowing, and short grass for grazing. They primarily inhabit grassy savanna and woodlands interspersed with grassy clearings.

The ainmals tend to avoid the heat during the day, when they rest in the shade. They are usually active in the early morning, late afternoon and evening. 

During very hot periods, the cool and rid themselves of ectoparasites (external parasites) by bathing in mud in shallow pools. Adult males can spend almost their entire life in these areas, unless water is unavailable, in which case they follow a narrow corridor to a drinking site every 3-4 days.

Breeding females are prevented from leaving a dominant's male territory, which is marked and and patrolled by its owner on a regular basis. Males competing for a female may engage in serious conflict, using their horns to inflict wounds.

Females reach sexual maturity at 4-5 years of age but do not reproduce until they reach 6-7 years. In contrast, males tend not to mate until they are 10-12 years old. They can live up to 40 years.

Breeding pairs may stay together for up to 20 days. Mating occurs throughout the year although peaks have been observed from October to December in South Africa and from February to June in East Africa. The gestation period is approximately 16 months with a period of 2-3 years between calves.

White rhinos are the only grazer of all rhino species, feeding almost exclusively on short grasses.

Demand for Dorper sheep rises in East Africa

A rise in demand for #Dorper #sheep as a source of #meat across East Africa in recent years is putting pressure on #breeders.

From the flat plains of Kajiado, Laikipia and Naivasha in Kenya to the lowlands of Tanzania, the demand for Dorper breeding #sheep has been rising over the last few years.

 The Dorper sheep has increasingly become a breed of choice for many #farmers in the country, mainly due to rising demand for its low-fat quality #meat.
“Dorper sheep do well on natural pastures although #farmers may offer supplementary feeding during scarcity or based on nutritional requirements. They are hardy and will perform well in low ecological zones,” noted Ole-Sein, the proprietor of the 1,700-acre Rimpa Estates in Kiserian.

According to Ole-Sein, a breeding #ram currently costs between US$313 to US$500 with ewes selling from US$125 to US$188, underscoring the increased monetary value of the dorper to #farmers across Kenya.“We breed rams and then dispose them to farmers for breeding purposes. Demand for #rams is quite high across the country,” observed #livestock production officer Cleopas Wahome.

 “Demand for breeding ewes has been rising far beyond the supply. Farmers from neighbouring countries such as Tanzania have been flocking the country looking for ewes,” observed Kone Ole-Sein, a Dorper farmer from Kajiado County and also the national secretary of the Dorper Breeders' Society of Kenya, an umbrella body that brings together corporate and individual farmers.

African Elephant

African elephants are the largest land #animals on Earth. They are slightly larger than their Asian cousins and can be identified by their larger ears that look somewhat like the continent of Africa. (Asian elephants have smaller, rounded ears.)

Elephant ears radiate heat to help keep these large animals cool, but sometimes the African heat is too much. Elephants are fond of water and enjoy showering by sucking water into their trunks and spraying it all over themselves. Afterwards, they often spray their skin with a protective coating of dust.

An elephant's trunk is actually a long nose used for smelling, breathing, trumpeting, drinking, and also for grabbing things—especially a potential meal. The trunk alone contains about 100,000 different muscles. African elephants have two fingerlike features on the end of their trunk that they can use to grab small items. (Asian elephants have one.)

Both male and female African elephants have tusks they use to dig for food and water and strip bark from trees. Males use the tusks to battle one another, but the ivory has also attracted violence of a far more dangerous sort.

Because ivory is so valuable to some humans, many elephants have been killed for their tusks. This trade is illegal today, but it has not been completely eliminated, and some African elephant populations remain endangered.

Elephants eat roots, grasses, #fruit, and bark, and they eat a lot of these things. An adult elephant can consume up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) of #food in a single day.

These hungry #animals do not sleep much, and they roam over great distances while foraging for the large quantities of food that they require to sustain their massive bodies.

Female elephants (cows) live in family herds with their young, but adult males (bulls) tend to roam on their own.

Having a baby elephant is a serious commitment. Elephants have a longer pregnancy than any other #mammal—almost 22 months. #Cows usually give birth to one calf every two to four years. At birth, elephants already weigh some 200 pounds (91 kilograms) and stand about 3 feet (1 meter) tall.

African elephants, unlike their Asian relatives, are not easily domesticated. They range throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the rain forests of central and West Africa. The continent’s northernmost elephants are found in Mali’s Sahel desert. The small, nomadic herd of Mali elephants migrates in a circular route through the desert in search of water.