When that call comes in… The one that gives all of us in conservation the chills… A class A rhino calf seen with no mom around. Called in by RPU ranger Pooe while on patrol. All stations were put on alert. Except it was sunset, so no chance of air support to assist is on the rescue. Steve and I got to to the scene as fast as safely possible. There we found Pooe looking at what, at first glance, looked like a warthog.
Steve and Pooe rushed down to the water while I called the vet, Dr Gerhardus Scheepers. The calf was tiny. It was standing in the dam and it was trying to stay out of reach of 3 jackals who were definitely keen. His little head kept dipping. He was so, so tired. Steve made the decision to catch the calf by hand rather than wait for Dr G, as it was touch and go for this poor little thing at this stage.
Into the dam Steve and Pooe went. The calf was too weak to fight them at all. They lifted him, bear in mind a rhino calf at birth weighs quite a bit, and carried him to safety. We loaded him on the cruiser. His hooves looked like they had rotted from being in the water so long. We radioed the game drives close to us, and Ivory Tree Lodge, for some blankets as it was cold now and this baby was very wet and very cold. The Mankwe Game Trackers and Tshukudu Bush Lodge guides quickly came to our aid.
Pooe told us that when he passed the dam he initially thought he saw a warthog. Still, it seemed odd so he stopped and took out his binoculars. That’s when he realised it was a rhino calf. He waited for the mom to appear but she never did. So he called Steve. Once the calf was loaded we drove out and Steve held the little rhino in the back of the cruiser (spooning him) all the way out the park as we had no other way to calm or subdue the poor thing. Once we were out the park the safest option for the calf, and us, was to wait for the Dr G to get there so he could anaethetise the calf. All this time the calf was reasonably calm and we kept him warm with all the blankets till Dr G came.
When Dr G arrived and saw the calf he said it was no more than a couple of days old. And what we thought was rotten hooves was actually what vets call ‘golden shoes’. Soft filaments that surround the hoof to protect the mom’s uterus and birth canal. Horses have the same thing. They are called a deciduous hoof capsule. We only got a real proper look at the calf when Dr G got to us, and that’s when we saw it’s a little boy. His umbilical cord was still attached and very fresh looking!
There was no sign of a mom rhino in the area that we could see. We will check the area out again tomorrow by air and on foot. Dr G thinks it could be that the mom was disturbed right at birth and ran away. If the rhino and her calf are separated too early at birth, then they do not bond or make a connection apparently.
The little newborn is now on his way to be treated. Once it is safe for him he will go to The Rhino Orphanage. He will remain there until he is old enough to return to the wild. We want to thank everyone for their speedy response, Pooe for his alertness, and he and Steve’s bravery to catch the little guy.
The next 48 hours will be critical for the calf. We do not know if he will make it, but he is definitely a fighter so we have huge hope. Today, on Mother’s Day, I feel I experienced a motherly bond with this little soul. All the way to the scene I was feeling crushed that there was an orphan on what is Mother’s Day here by us! Devastating to imagine anytime, but worse symbolically, today. So I will pray with all my might that he is indeed a fighter and he will pull through.
Anyone wishing to make contributions to his veterinary bill and food is welcome to do so via the Donations option at the bottom and right-hand side of this web-page, or via https://www.paypal.com/donate/…
I will keep you posted on his progress.
