Orphaned black rhino calf rescued
An orphaned black rhino calf was found wandering alone in the Lapalala Wilderness Nature Reserve on Wednesday 26 May when field rangers spotted her without her mother.
The rangers immediately realized that the young calf would not be able to survive on its own because the weaning age for rhinos is around two years.
According to Dr Annemieke Müller, veterinarian at Lapalala Wilderness, the conservation team decided to take action and translocate the young calf to The Rhino Orphanage before stress, cold weather or lions could get to her.
The calf, named Robynne, was captured on Thursday 27 May and taken to the orphanage. She is estimated to be between 12-14 months old, weighing approximately 150 kg, Müller told The Post.
“It is not clear what happened to the calf’s mother, as field rangers are still looking for her on the 48 000 ha reserve.”
According to Müller the calf’s mother was brought to Lapalala Wilderness as a young adult in 1999.
“In the wild a black rhino’s life expectancy is between 30 -40 years; so it is possible that she has died of some age-related cause.”
Müller confirmed that Robynne was still in good condition when she was found, even though she was clearly confused and distressed.
The team at The Rhino Orphanage has made great progress since the calf’s arrival to calm her down and getting her to eat. Their next challenge will be for Robynne to accept milk.
Companionship is the most important need because young rhinos usually stay with their mothers for up to three years.
Luckily the orphanage has various methods to provide companionship in a responsible way. Robynne will most likely stay at the orphanage until she is between 3-4 years old and then return to Lapalala Wilderness.
Müller told The Post that it would be a true black rhino conservation story of success when Robynne returns to Lapalala to one day have offspring, thereby contributing to the critically endangered black rhino population.
Lapalala Wilderness was declared a nature reserve in 2020 and is now the largest privately owned nature reserve in Limpopo.
The Palala River flows through this wilderness area in the Waterberg Biosphere. It was the first private game reserve in history to introduce black rhinos to their establishment in 1990.
Some of the field rangers at Lapalala have been working there for more than 20 years, tracking black and white rhinos on foot through dense vegetation and over very difficult terrain.
The black rhino has a reputation for being aggressive and charges readily at any perceived threat, making them very dangerous animals.
