NAJIN & FATU

Two of the most special creatures on Earth, Najin and Fatu are the last two northern white rhinos alive today! They are mother and daughter and live at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. 

In their home they have plenty of room to play and lots of food to eat, their favourite food being lots and lots of carrots! The two rhinos have a special relationship with their primary carer, Jacob, loves to feeds them and gives them belly rubs. 

In their home at Ol Pejeta they are protected by armed guards to protect them from illegal rhino horn poachers. We were very lucky to meet Najin & Fatu when we travelled to Ol Pejeta Conservancy to spend some time with the friendliest and sadly, last northern white rhinos.

Our trip to Africa

Gillie and Marc travelled to Kenya in March 2017 to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy  (the second largest conservancy in Kenya with around 90,000 acres) to share time with the last three surviving northern white rhinos in the world.  The 3 northern white rhinoceroses were guarded 24-hours a day to protect them from poaching, which is a major problem for rhinoceroses. The protection includes horn-imbedded transmitters, watchtowers, fences, drones, guard dogs, and trained armed guards around the clock.

Gillie and Marc spent each day driving back and forth to be with them, to study them and work closely with Jacob, their primary carer. He allowed them to get up close and touch Sudan who is completely tame - he loved being tickled under the belly and in his very thick skin folds. They photographed him, sketched him and filmed him for five days.  He was a very gentle soul and they could feel his melancholy. Gillie and Marc felt he knew he was the last one of his kind on earth. His daughter and granddaughter were also tame and they could touch them and get close to them too. They are both infertile so cannot mate, so the inevitable is near for these magnificent creatures. Gillie and Marc were overwhelmed with love and grief, and felt so honoured to be in their presence for so many hours. They were so devastated when Sudan passed away a few days after the installation of The Last Three