President William Ruto briefly panicked after a rhino charged toward the back of a truck on which he was standing during its release into the Tsavo West Rhino Conservancy.
Drone footage circulating online shows park rangers carefully opening a green container before the rhino steps out, staggers, then suddenly moves in the President’s direction.
Panic shrieks are heard in the clip, with Ruto exclaiming as the rhino charges before veering off and sprinting into the open conservancy.
“It was going to come up here!” Ruto tells an official on the truck, to which they all heartily laugh.
President Ruto panics and screams after freed rhino tries to attack him in Taita Conservancy pic.twitter.com/sVkJitztZB
— Mutembei TV (@MutembeiTV) December 9, 2025
“Inataka fujo eh?” one person is heard saying, before another responds, “imeshaingia kwa park.”
Another voice is heard asking whether the rhino might return.
Ruto had been accompanied by Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, KWS Director General Erastus Kanga and other senior officials during the launch of the sanctuary in Ngulia, Taita Taveta.
In a post on his social media pages, the President praised the conservancy’s expansion.
“Its expansion to a 3,200 square kilometres land size, the largest in the world, positions the ecosystem as not only a conservation hub, but also a secure space for our more than 200 rhinos that will attract more tourists to Kenya,” he said.
According to KWS, the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary is home to rare black rhinos and was established to protect the species.
It has long served as a stronghold and breeding site for black rhinos in Tsavo and across the country, and remains one of the main attractions in Tsavo West National Park.
The sanctuary, located on the foothills of the Ngulia Hills, initially covered 80 square kilometres before expanding to 3,200 sq km.
KWS notes that the rhinos are mostly nocturnal, shy, and prefer thick undergrowth.
The rugged terrain is dotted with bushes and natural waterholes, supplemented by four artificial water points that supply fresh water during the dry season.
“On a brighter day, the silhouette of Mount Kilimanjaro can be seen in the west,” the agency writes.