Cape Town – The pregnant rhino at Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve that survived a horrific poaching attack in which four other rhinos were killed in December, has given birth to a healthy calf.
Aquila Collection owner Searl Derman announced the birth on Monday.
“I am elated to announce that, not only have arrests been made within days of the incident back in December, but the surviving rhino gave birth to a healthy baby rhino boy on April 30.”
On December 8, 2021 the Inverdoorn anti-poaching team found four dead rhinos whose horns had been hacked off. An injured female rhino was missing and had to be tracked.
“Under the guidance and supervision of specialist veterinarian Douw Grobler, the injured female was constantly monitored, and finally stabilised enough to perform a series of reconstructive procedures to reassemble parts of her face that had been badly injured by a close-range high-calibre rifle shot,” explained Derman.
On Saturday April 30, one of the Inverdoorn rangers, out on a morning game drive, spotted a newborn white rhinoceros struggling in an aardvark hole.
The anti-poaching team and management were immediately notified and the Aquila 24-Hour Rapid Rhino Response Team – a privately funded and managed unit that was established to locate, rescue and rehabilitate orphaned rhinos from private game reserves in South Africa – was activated.
“The on-site team pulled the baby rhino free from the hole without any injury,” said Derman.
Tears of joy from the management and reserve teams followed as they reunited him with his mother who was then identified as the surviving rhino from the poaching incident.
“The judicial system is currently in control of the process to bring justice to the lost rhino lives, and we once again thank all the role-players and stakeholders that supported my teams and myself back in December 2021. The miraculous birth of this little boy is a joyous moment and celebrated throughout wildlife circles and the global rhino conservation community. Just a few short months ago, we were under immense pressure to save the mother’s life, now we see the miracle of an added life,” said Derman.
The calf and mother will be monitored by the Rapid Rhino Response Team to ensure the baby and mother bond.
The rangers that captured the first images of the new baby at Inverdoorn said: “It is a momentous occasion and honour to have taken these images of new life after the tragedy on our private game reserve, and the occasion inspires us to continue our commitment to fight for the survival of rhinos and all other endangered wildlife.”
Cape Times