When a rhino cow has a calf with her, which is often the case, poachers are under pressure to act fast. Once they have killed the mother, the horrified calf will make high-pitched squeals, attracting both predators and anti-poaching units that may be close by.
The poachers need to focus on the activity that will earn them their bounty – extracting the mother’s horn as quickly as possible. If there are spare hands in the gang, the poachers will also kill the calf and attempt to extract the small stump of a horn that the young rhino has grown in its short life. In this business, every ounce of horn is worth thousands.
Another Orphaned Rhino Arrives:
One of the most recent additions to the Care for Wild AFRICA rhino sanctuary is a male calf that narrowly escaped the same fate as his mother.
The rhino calf was rescued from South Africa’s Kruger National Park (KNP) and his mother is assumed to have been killed by rhino poachers.
‘’The calf wandered through the bushes by himself for about five days before he was rescued in the Satara section of the KNP,’’ says Petronel Nieuwoudt, founder and CEO of Care for Wild AFRICA.
He was immediately darted and transferred to Care for Wild AFRICA, which is now the largest rhino sanctuary in the world. Petronel expected the worst, as she always does. There is no guarantee that the orphans will respond to medication, and often, their wounds are beyond treatment.
This rhino calf was no exception.
His conditions:
He was dehydrated and severely traumatised (the rhino calf is assumed to have watched as the poachers hacked his mother’s face to pull out the horn). Even worse, there was clear evidence that the poachers had tried to kill him. Two deep gashes on his back from machetes show that the poachers tried to break the young rhino’s spine. In all likelihood, he was bothering the poachers as they did their work. Remember – even a rhino calf can do extensive damage when it charges.
A New Dawn
The story, although horrific, ends with some level of hope. The young male calf is alive and healthy. When he arrived at Petronel’s sanctuary, a team of veterinarians and surgeons were able to treat the various injuries, and the young rhino responded well to antibiotics. He has been named “LoFo” – lost and found.
LoFo is kept in the boma next door to Don, the orphaned rhino that was adopted by our team at Rhino Africa. In today’s blog, we wanted to share photos of the heroes who helped to save LoFo. Many of these professionals (who are also volunteers) were the same people who rescued, nurtured and rehabilitated Don. Both rhinos become two more animals that are still alive.
Two more animals that provide hope for the future of this species.
Are you interested in adopting LoFo?
LoFo has not yet been adopted. The cost is $1100 per month, covering all maintenance costs relating to food, shelter and medication as well as state-of-the-art security. If you would like to join us at Rhino Africa in supporting the incredible work of Petronel and her team, consider adding an orphan rhino to your family. For more information, contact us here.
All images courtesy of Care for Wild AFRICA