On Sunday morning, 16th August 2026, Ol Pejeta said goodbye to one of its most recognisable residents.
Baraka, our beloved blind black rhino, died at the age of 31.
Born at Ol Pejeta on 20 November 1994, Baraka was among the first rhinos born on the Conservancy. He grew into a formidable black rhino bull, spending his early years moving across the landscape, defending his territory and navigating the challenges of life in the wild.
In 2008, when he was still relatively young, Baraka lost his right eye during a fight with another rhino. He later lost sight in his remaining eye to cataracts, leaving him completely blind.
For a blind rhino, surviving in the wild would have been extraordinarily difficult. Rather than let him struggle, our team moved Baraka into a protected 100-acre enclosure, where he could receive the round-the-clock care and security he needed. His sightlessness also presented ongoing challenges, including limiting his ability to select and access food naturally, meaning his diet relied heavily on supplementation to meet his nutritional needs.
When he first arrived, ranger Esogon Ekale spent many days helping him settle into his new surroundings. That early bond grew into years of dedicated care, as Esogon and the wider team fed him, tended to him and watched him adapt to life without sight.
And adapt he did.
Baraka’s life took on a remarkable second chapter. He became an ambassador for black rhino conservation and an important part of Ol Pejeta’s conservation education. Thousands of visitors encountered him over the years, and his story opened conversations about rhino behaviour, the threats facing the species and what it takes to protect them.
For many, meeting Baraka transformed conservation from something distant into something they could see, understand and care about. He reminded us that conservation is about more than numbers and populations. Every rhino is an individual, with its own character, history and needs.
Those who cared for Baraka knew this better than anyone. They knew his personality, his routines and the small quirks that made him uniquely Baraka. To them, he was far more than an ambassador. His loss is deeply felt by the people who knew him best.
Over 31 years, Baraka’s story travelled far beyond Ol Pejeta. He helped people see black rhinos not simply as a threatened species, but as individuals: resilient, deserving of protection and worth knowing.
His name means “blessing” in Swahili. And for the thousands of people who met him, learned from him and left caring a little more about rhinos, Baraka was exactly that.
A post-mortem examination is being conducted by Ol Pejeta’s and KWS’s veterinary teams to establish the cause of death. At this stage, the cause of death has not yet been established.
We will miss him deeply. And we will carry his legacy forward.
Written By Juliet Guantai