Two orphaned baby rhinos saved in Kruger National Park
Breakfast with Martin Bester brought you some good news to get you through the day.
Two young rhino calves found alone in the Kruger bush have been rescued and are safe at the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary.
Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary confirmed that on 28 February, an urgent call came in after the two male calves, estimated to be between 12 and 14 months old, were spotted without their mothers.
Rangers on patrol from the Jock Environmental Monitoring Unit (JEMU) located the calves, and one was seen with visible wounds.
While the circumstances are still being confirmed, the situation was described as “deeply concerning”, with the likelihood that the calves may have been orphaned as a result of poaching.
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In the absence of their mothers, the two calves reportedly stayed together for protection, which is when a carefully coordinated rescue operation swung into action.
According to Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary, the rescue involved SANParks Kruger staff, veterinarian Dr Lufuno Netshitavhadulu, Chief Pilot David Simelane, Marius Snyder, Craig Williams, the JEMU team, and members of the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary team.
The operation had to move fast, with extreme heat, high humidity, and approaching thunderstorms adding pressure and risk.
Because the terrain made it impossible for vehicles to reach one of the recovery points, the older calf was airlifted to the nearest accessible road before being placed on a drip and transported by trailer to the sanctuary.
The second calf was then airlifted directly to Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary.
Rescue teams worked to keep the calves stable and cool throughout, using fluids, water, and constant monitoring as they raced against time and the weather.
Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary said both calves arrived at the sanctuary within hours of the rescue and were placed under round-the-clock supervision.
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The team remained with the calves through the night to ensure they were settled, supported, and closely monitored.
Reunited
The Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary posted a video on Facebook showing how the two calves were successfully reunited after the second calf arrived at the sanctuary.
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Image: Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary