Nicolette Dirk
A RHINO calf, born on New Year’s Eve at the Aquila Private Game Reserve, is recovering well after its mother rejected it and its father nearly attacked it.
Reserve spokesperson Judy Mannering said staff became concerned when they saw the young calf wandering alone without its mother on New Year’s Day.
“Our vets told us that if it had happened in the night, it would not have been cause for concern as the calf and its mother could have accidentally split up. But because it was in the day they said it was likely the mother had rejected it,” she said.
The eight-year-old mother’s rejection of her calf was likely due to the fact that it was her first birth.
With the heat soaring to 36ºC, Mannering said they had to move fast to get the calf the nourishment it needed.
Another obstacle was that the calf had become attached to its father, who was aggressive. Their last option was to tranquillise the father when he tried to attack the calf. “The young calf had tried to suckle on his father, causing it to turn on the young rhino. Staff immediately shielded the calf, before quickly getting him on a bakkie,” said Mannering.
To save the baby rhino’s life the anti-poaching and conservation teams had put their lives in danger, Mannering said.
The vets said the best way to nourish the calf was to feed it a horse milk formula.
Mannering said the formula contained antibodies that protected newborn mammals against disease.
nicolette.dirk@inl.co.za