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2026 WRC Safari Rally zoomed off to a flying start in Naivasha on Thursday and once again, it was that time when drivers have to try and avoid hitting wildlife.
The wildlife are always forced to run for dear life, and the sound of the rally cars interferes with the peace they have always enjoyed in their habitat.
Fortunately, Thursday was a good outing for the drivers and the wildlife, with no incidents reported.
This was because the animals crossed the rally routes before the cars could arrive or after the cars had gone through.
The wildlife wanted their space, but the cars equally had the right to pass through in the fight for top honours.
Rally fans interviewed said they only spotted antelopes and zebras criss-crossing the routes ahead of arrival of the racing machines.
These were either in sections of Mzabibu or Kenya Wildlife Training Institute and Research Centre.
At the institute, antelopes and warthogs ruled as they criss-crossed the routes in search of pasture.
“I saw a few zebras and antelopes in Mzabibu passing before or after the speeding cars could come,” said James Njoroge, a rally fan along that route.
He said it was a joy to watch the scenario when animals competed for space with the racing machines.
“I believe that could be among the beauties of racing in the WRC Safari Rally, despite it being one of the most difficult global championships in WRC Calendar of Events for the past five years,” added Njoroge.
It was as if all these had happened in a national park where the animals had a total right of way compared to the rally cars.
At the routes of the research institute, antelopes and warthogs had their day.
There were no formal reported cases from WRC officials, as was the case last year when Hyundai driver Ott Tanak encountered zebras on the road, which led him to go off the road and get a puncture.
Tanak had complained of the high risk of wildlife conflict both on the recce and the rally itself.
Before, when rallies were competed on open roads in the seventies and eighties, there were frequent cases of pedestrians being hit by the speeding vehicles.
A good example was in the seventies when Joginder Singh hit a woman while rallying and was forced to stop and report the matter at a police station before going on with the rally.
In modern rally sport regulations of 2026, particularly under FIA, hitting a human or an animal triggers strict safety procedures designed to prioritise human life, ensure immediate medical attention, and manage potential traffic issues.
This is what led to the current WRC races being completed in closed circuits.