Kenya Wildlife Service’s Post

Breathing? Check. Water? Splash. Calm? Oh, absolutely. KWS field calm, which is code for “we’re internally screaming but smiling for the camera.” For every KWS Wild Field Edition, the team always if not all the time gets a run for their money, and the recently concluded black rhino ear-notching exercise at Tsavo West National Park was no exception. Picture this: a heavily tranquilized rhino, whose sole mission was to serve science, decided instead to go full drama queen. In its graceful descent into slumber, it somehow wedged itself perfectly between two stubborn tree stems. Naturally, this triggered what can only be described as a high-stakes episode of Extreme Makeover. For in such moment, the team has to think on their feet, turning into impromptu lumberjacks, furiously hacking away at one of the trees to create room for the rhino because comfort is key while the rest held its head up to ensure proper breathing. Meanwhile, our patient, oblivious to the chaos it had caused, looked as majestic as ever between the trees. Can you imagine what was going through the minds of our Vet and Capture team? And through it all, the team maintained that KWS calm, a state where you smile politely while wondering how your job description didn’t quite mention rhino extraction from botanic entanglements. By the time the operation was done, and the rhino free, we surely have one more “iconic” story to tell about #BlackRhinoConservation. #KWSWild #BlackRhino #KWSSuccessStory #WildLifeConservation #EarNotching 📷Irene Ouma