Loijipu was born in February 2017 at the Sera sanctuary in northern Kenya, and his mother left him behind when he was just 48 hours old. He was the first black rhino born in a community conservancy in the country. His name, in Samburu, means “the one who follows”.
He spent his first months with other caregivers, until he met Salome Lemalasia at 18 months old. She had been a community ranger since 2015 and was a mother of four; at first, she hesitated about taking the job. Her fears disappeared as soon as she saw him: the little rhino followed her everywhere and didn’t want to leave her.
Today he is five years old and, according to Salome, she knows when he is hungry, sleepy, or sick. She scolds him when he goes too far, and he obeys. He recognizes her among other rangers and visitors by her scent, and out in the bush he grunts and stamps the ground with his feet to alert her when wildlife is nearby. There is a constant risk that he might wander away from his enclosure and be attacked by adult rhinos. She is still there, caring for him.
