Karongwe white rhino orphan doing well

The white rhino calf (Ceratotherium simum) that was found abandoned by its mother on Karongwe Game Reserve last month is making fantastic progress at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehab Centre. The white rhino is one of the species that GVI assists with monitoring on both the Karongwe and Venetia expedition bases. The little male was approx just five days old, severely dehydrated and it’s ears had been chewed and severely lacerated by jackal or other small carnivores between the time it was separated from its mother and when researchers and management found it. When he was handed over to the staff there, his chances of survival seemed genuinely slim.

However, to everyone’s relief he has taken great strides towards health, and taken the hearts of his carers with him! Initially the wounds on his ears were cleaned and bandaged, and then most of the ear lobes removed. Since then he spends much of the time with a bandage round his head and ears- this would be a significant frustration for him as hearing, together with sight, are a white rhino’s most acute senses. He is being fed every few hours and has put on loads of weight and is becoming more and more demanding of his carers, chasing them around even before it’s feeding time! The negative of the story is that a likely consequence of all the intense (and necessary) care from humans is them imprinting very strongly on him as parents. This will make returning him to the wild at a later stage very uncertain, as he may then be a danger to people or easily be hunted. That is for the future though, for now the priority is his health and full recovery from his wounds.

On the final day of the last expedition the GVI expedition members, together with reserve manager Constant Hoogstad were able to visit the rehab centre and catch up with the staff there and meet the little tyke, now affectionately known as Floppy!

Karongwe white rhino orphan doing well