Nory LeBrun has traveled to South Africa and Kenya twice, and to Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.  He plans to return again in the near future.

LeBrun camped in the bush among the pastoralist Maasai people escorted by his Kenyan friend, Bill Winter and Sambura guides and game spotters who work to protect this rare and wonderful land. LeBrun witnessed the beauty and diversity of Africa and it’s free-roaming animal populations – elephant, lions, zebras, giraffe, leopard, impala, Cape buffalo, baboons, and of course, Two Blue Rhono namesake, the Rhinoceros.

The powerful and noble rhino is the favorite of our Company. African Black and White rhinos both face extinction. Rhino populations are badly threatened by poachers, population encroachment and environmental changes even though protected by national and international laws.

The White rhino is the second largest land animal after elephants. White rhinos weigh 4,000 to 6,000 lbs and are twice the size of the Black rhinos of north-central Africa.  They live from 40 to 60 years.   The White rhino population is the most secure of all African rhinos at 10,500.

The Black rhino is disappearing faster than any other large animal on earth. In 1960, there were about 100,000 black rhinos in Africa, but widespread poaching sent that number plummeting to only 2,550 in 1994. The largest numbers of Black rhino are in South Africa and Namibia where effective law enforcement has kept poachers at bay.  The establishment of sanctuaries, combined with intensive protection from poaching, appears to have stabilized the remaining populations of Black rhino, but the situation is still critical.

Conservation efforts keep improving, and combined with tourism growth, more effective law enforcement, and worldwide support and education, the situation should continue to turn favorably.  Two Blue Rhino will continue to follow those efforts. 

We have included here just a few of the thousands of photos taken on LeBrun’s safaris.

Sources:
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) website 2/23/07.

SOS Rhino.org

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/