LITTLE ORPHAN JESSIE
The most recent rescue for Rhino 911 involved a female thought to be about four months old. She was evacuated on April 30 after her mother was killed by poachers — the picture on the left is of her, sedated at the rescue site. She is now at the Rhino Orphanage, a registered nonprofit company based in Limpopo, where she has been named Jessie. Founded by Arrie van Deventer in 2012, the orphanage is dedicated to the care of orphaned and injured baby rhinos, with the goal of ultimately releasing them back into the wild.
After Jessie spent her first night at the orphanage blindfolded and pacing, her caretakers posted on Facebook the following morning: “It is clear that the little girl has been through tremendous trauma the past few days, just looking at her behaviour. She is scared and confused but wants comfort.”
A few days later, they introduced her to another newly orphaned rhino, Amelia, who was rescued by Rhino 911 on March 25.
Head caretaker Yolande van der Merwe explained: “It is always better for rhinos (and any wild animal really) to have an animal companion. For rhinos, it makes them less dependent on human affection, so we always try and pair them up. It makes their rehabilitation so much more successful and easier.”
This week, Van der Merwe said they were “bonding very well, snuggling up close together. In a week or two they will be inseparable.“
You can see a video of Jessie’s rescue — shot on Jacob’s GoPro — on facebook.com/rhino911NPO/ and follow her and Amelia’s progress on facebook.com/TheRhinoOrphanage.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
● See rhino911.com to donate, as well as a breakdown of what the funds are for, from helicopter fuel to “baby formula”. Shockingly, it costs R80,000 to wean a baby rhino.
● You can also “adopt“a baby or donate once-off to the Rhino Orphanage. See therhinoorphanage.co.za.