Durban — Days after it was announced that 259 rhinos were poached in South Africa in the first six months of 2022, the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary captured the birth of a rhino calf on video.
On Thursday, Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary announced the birth of their third calf and for the first time managed to capture it on video.
Care for Wild said a 9-year-old white rhino cow Olive gave birth to a male calf at 7.50am.
Olive was orphaned in 2013 after poachers killed her mother. She was just 10 months old when she was rescued and brought to Care for Wild.
“For the first time, the birth was captured on video.”
Care for Wild said that despite keeping distance, Olive remained close to her long-term protector throughout the early stages of labour and kept him close during delivery.
“This is an unbelievably special moment to see this precious new life take his first breaths. By the grace of God, we welcome this miracle to the world.”
“Her little son has become the third calf born to two orphans of poaching, making Storm a father for the third time. Another light, another sign of hope for the species,” Care for Wild said.
(LONGER VIDEO)
(SHORTER VIDEO)
At 48 hours old, the new calf met his big brother, and “it’s the sweetest thing”, Care for Wild said.
“Until Thursday, Pebble (now 5 months old) was the smallest calf walking in the Intensive Protection Zone. Now he has a little brother and suddenly Pebble seems huge! While the youngsters have different mothers, they share the same father, Storm.”
“Pebble is so curious but so gentle and almost a little unsure. It’s amazing to see how tolerant Olive is in allowing Pebble close to her tiny baby. Other than Timbi, Olive does not allow any other adult rhinos close to her new son. She is incredibly attentive and fiercely protective,” Care for Wild said.
The calf began to drink around three hours after birth and although Olive was tired, she was coping very well.
“She is already proving to be an amazing mother. Attentive and protective. Unlike Wyntir and River, who were isolated from the rest of the rhinos after giving birth, Olive remains close to her friend Timbi for now,” Care for Wild said.
The two other calves were born in February and March this year.
In February, Wyntir and her newborn made international headlines and in March, orphaned rhino River gave birth to a little bull calf.
Speaking on the butchering of 259 rhinos in South Africa in the first six months of 2022, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said that recent trends in rhino poaching show a move away from the Kruger National Park to private reserves and KwaZulu-Natal, where the majority of rhinos have been killed this year. This makes it all the more important for the national government to shift its focus to supporting provincial authorities and private reserves in the war on rhino poaching.
“The number of rhinos poached between January and June 2022 is 10 more than the 249 poached countrywide in the first six months of 2021. From January to the end of June 2022, 82 rhinos were poached for their horns in the Kruger National Park,” Creecy said.
She said that 2022 poaching statistics show a loss of 210 rhinos on state properties and 49 in privately-owned parks. As indicated, the hardest hit during this period is KwaZulu-Natal which recorded a loss of 133 rhinos. This is more than triple the 33 rhinos killed in the first six months of 2021.
Daily News