IMANI THE YOUNG RHINO. By Esther Moraa Onderi.

As the moon and stars shine brightly on the sky, a cold breeze blows across the mountain while the frogs and toads in a calm rhythm croack in the river bank. Imani and her mother kifaru were busy grazing by the river side on the lush green riparian vegetation.

Suddenly, aloud bang was heard as every night creature crept to safety; the crickets went dead silent as the hippos dived into the river, the bats flew to the caves as the owls flew to the nearest trees, the Thompsons gazelles galloped into the near by bushes as other creatures scattered for safety. 

 In the split of a second, Kifaru lay down on the ground grinning in pain with a bullet lodged in her head. She stared at her son Imani with agony as if telling her, ‘run before they kill you’. As Imani pondered what action to take next, he ran as fast as he could to the nearest acacia trees for cover.

 While in his hide out, he saw heavy built men with heavy machines that had caused all the disaster in  that one night. These machines produced very loud sounds when they were fired. “So this is what killed my mother”, he said to himself. With his heart pounding, many unanswered questions went through his mind without answers.

“The small rhino could not have gone far”, Imani could hear voices saying. He could not help but ask himself what they wanted and who they were. Imani stood still in the thick cover of the Acacia nilotica trees as he watched the men approaching his dead mother and removing her two precious horns. He was filled with rage and anger ready to charge, but an instinct within him told his to run for his dear life. Imani walked briskly deep into the thicket overcoming his fear for the Lions, hyenas and Leopards, as humans are his greatest threat to date.

                                
                                STOP POACHING……..