After months of planning, it was down to the day prior to my visit that I got my location and direction instructions. I was truly honoured to be trusted with highly sensitive and deeply secretive information making my visit possible. I had been persistent and persuasive and my passion for rhinos had come through gaining me entry to the Zululand Rhino Orphanage.
On the drive to my destination my mind was a little scrambled and I was worried that emotionally this would be too much for me to handle. Would I get tearful or simply break down and become a middle-aged man mess? But then I thought of the trust that had been placed in me and that this was not at all about me, it was about an organisation and a team playing their part in saving a species.
After several security checks at various gates, where my ID was validated and car tax disc scanned, vehicle registration recorded and boot searched, I arrived at my allocated parking spot. Here I was greeted by my contact, who I had badgered, to make this visit possible. We sat and over coffee I was given a history of the orphanage plus some rules and the do’s and don’ts. I was aware of the previous rhino orphanage being attacked, losing two rhinos slaughtered by poachers in the process, leading to its closure which led to opening of where I now find myself. The calmness of my contact and the ease of our conversation had a calming effect on me. He checked his watch and at allocated agreed time asked, “are you ready?” With a nod we made our way on foot up a dusty road.
I was instructed where to stand and again told there were to be no photographs. With that a small crash of rhino appeared in a enclosure a short distance from our position. There was some pushing along with the odd grunt. I was told this was normal behaviour prior to feeding time. And It is something I have also been privileged to see in the wild with young rhinos. Then the human team appeared each carrying a five-litre container of ‘milk’. It was explained that the milk is a foal’s milk blend, more suitable for its nutritional makeup than cow’s milk. In a matter of minutes every container had been sucked dry. Then each rhino was hand fed pellets. Each member of the team held out a hand full and each rhino took the hand into its mouth, literally. In a mix of horizontal lips, teeth, tongue and slobber the pellets were devoured. Within the enclosure there are also old tyres containing lucerne, like hay, for the orphans to graze on. It was also pointed out that these are very handy for team members to take cover behind. Even a small rhino can charge and flip a person causing injury and broken bones.
On arrival I had been told that the rhino ICU unit would be out of bounds for me. However after feeding time a member of the team became available and I was allowed to visit. This is where the reality of the situation hit home. Within a converted container, with the floor under a layer of lucerne, a rhino transportation box constructed of tread plate steel sat at one end, the other end open with heat lamps overhead. When the team get a call informing them of poaching incident in a reserve and that a calf has been orphaned, they go into action. The priority is to rescue the calf and transport back to the orphanage as quickly as possible. This is done by helicopter or by road transport. A vet will be on hand to assess the orphan and immediately start treatment, normally intravenously, including where needed antibiotics. Often the calf has sustained injury from the poachers to keep it away from its slain mother. The calf then has its ears bandaged to reduce noise and is blindfolded for the journey. Once back at the orphanage in the transport crate the care can begin. The new arrival, once ready, will be bottle fed still blindfolded. The calf continues to feed and when ready the blindfold will be removed during being bottle fed. This can cause huge stress in the calf when it realises that it is being fed by a human. The last human this calf encountered had murdered its mother and hacked her horn off. The dents in the steel tread plate were evidence of a rhino’s instinctive fear for humans.
I am still pinching myself that, me an ordinary boy from the middle of England, had been allowed to visit such an incredible place. I found it more emotional reflecting on my visit when writing it up than being there. The calmness of my contact ran through the team. This dedicated outfit were truly professional and passionate carers with the sole ambition of ensuring that the rhinos under their care got the best possible treatment. Only that attitude could result in the best possible outcome and long-term goals. That outcome would be getting the orphans ready and eventually rereleased back into the wild.
For more information on the invaluable work carried out by the orphanage team & to donate please visit:
