The day began as many of our days do, says Mariska Bijsterbosch from Wildlife Vets Namibia, with a fairly routine procedure. We headed out on a long drive from Windhoek to a large private game reserve in central Namibia, this time to treat a rhino bull with an abscess.
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The procedure went smoothly – the animal was immobilised, the wound cleaned, and before leaving, we ‘quickly’ relocated a young sable to another part of the reserve. A good day’s work, or so we thought.
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Halfway home, the phone rang with the kind of call we dread. A rhino cow was killed for her horns a few days earlier. Her calf, only around four months old, was missing for a few days now.
In Namibia’s vast landscapes, the odds of survival were slim. At that age, calves are still heavily dependent on their mother’s milk, usually staying with them until 18 months.
Against the odds, the anti-poaching unit eventually found the calf alive.
We turned the car around and drove as fast as we could to the farm. By late afternoon, a helicopter was hovering over the reserve, and Dr Ulf darted the frightened calf from above. We braced ourselves for the worst: a dehydrated, weak calf.
But when we reached him, the little bull was in surprisingly fair condition! Somehow, he must have sustained himself on forbs and shrubs in the thickets of a riverbed.
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The calf was placed on a drip, received extra fluids rectally and was given vitamin boosters. We stabilised him as well as we could, and transported him to the Mount Etjo Rhino Orphanage, which he reached in the evening.
Caring for rhino orphans is no small task, and should always be done by an experienced and specialised orphanage. The calves are often traumatised and weak and need round-the-clock attention.
Annette Oelofse, a very experienced rhino rehabilitator, took him under her wing. The first night, the calf slept deeply.
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By the morning, came the message we hoped for… The calf was already drinking from the bottle! Getting a rhino calf onto the milk formula is the first hurdle.
The next one is whether his stomach adapts. Yes, we get hugely excited when the first poo starts coming out and looks good!
Fortunately, his system was adapting well to the milk concentrate. From there on, Annette started to introduce him to mud baths, short runs and long walks, grazing – all the skills he will need to grow into a strong bull.
The calf is now around ten months old, strong and growing rapidly, continually proving himself – a true survivor. Human contact will gradually be reduced to facilitate the rewilding process. We thank Annette Oelofse from the Mount Etjo Rhino Orphanage for her dedication and selfless service towards providing rhino orphans a second chance in life!
This calf’s fight for survival, seen against the backdrop of ongoing rhino poaching, is a story of hope. It also highlights the immense challenges faced by rhino owners in Southern Africa. Beyond the emotional toll of losing rhinos to poaching, they have to carry the heavy financial burden of feeding them through droughts, providing veterinary care and security and orphan rehabilitation. The private rhino owner usually does this with little, if any external support.
Without the many private reserves and the people dedicating their life to conservation, the African rhino would have no future at all.
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Wildlife Vets Namibia provide veterinary care for Namibian wildlife. They have years of experience in the field, and have worked with a diverse variety of African wildlife, from elephants and rhinos to lions and leopards.
