FOSTER OUR RHINOS
ANGIE
- Female
- Arrival August 2024
- Arrival age 6 months
- R500 / $30
Even though Angie is an independent little girl, she does love a little company every now and then when out of the boma during the day. She was first discovered wandering around the dead body of her mother, who had been killed by poachers. She was gently coaxed by reserve staff to move away from her mother and closer to them, after which she could then be loaded up and transported to HESC for care. Angie bonded well with both her carers and Liquorice, who was brought in to be her companion. After spending the required time in quarantine, she was introduced to the others and spent time close to Esmé at first before gaining her independent spirit.
PETER
- Male
- Arrival October 2023
- Arrival age 3 months
- R500 / $30
Peter is the feisty boy of the crash, but this side of his personality only surfaced once he felt safe enough. At around three months of age, Peter found himself orphaned after his mom was killed by what was believed to be an elephant. He was skittish when he arrived at HESC at first and had to get used to his carers and his new environment. Thankfully, after many hours of love and care, he thrived and grew into an amazing young bull.
THABA
- Male
- Arrival June 2022
- Arrival age 3 months
- R500 / $30
Thaba is a laid-back boy who enjoys spending time with Esmé and his fellow siblings. Life with his mom was cut short when she was brutally killed by poachers who mercilessly hacked off her horn. It was believed that he was around three months old when this happened. He was flown through to HESC with the help of The Bateleurs, a volunteer pilot conservation organisation which provides free aerial transport for wildlife in need. After Thaba was given round-the-clock care and regular milk feeds, he thrived and was eventually introduced to Esmé as the first surrogate calf of the current crash.
MANGO
- Female
- Arrival September 2023
- Arrival age 9 months
- R500 / $30
Mango is happy-go-lucky and willing to go with the flow – but can also sometimes be a bit of a mamma’s girl, making sure to hang around Esmé often. She was already 9 months old when she arrived at HESC for rehabilitation. She was quite wild and difficult to get onto bottle feeds. With the help of the vet, we were able to raise her on supplemented feeds. She is slightly younger than Thaba.
EVE
- Female
- Arrival December 2024
- Arrival age 6 months
- R500 / $30
Eve is happiest when hanging out with her big sister Angie, and these two often go wandering off together during the day – apart from all the others. Eve was named after Christmas Eve, which is when she arrived at HESC late at night. She was found wandering around on her own with no mom in sight, and to make matters worse, was being chased away by a rhino bull who had started to behave aggressively towards her. Intervention was necessary to ensure her safety, and after many unsuccessful attempts to locate her mom, she was brought through to HESC. She was placed only with Angie in a boma adjacent to all the others, where she could get used to seeing and smelling the rest of the crash. Once their quarantine period ended both she and Angie joined the others.
BULA
- Male
- Arrival October 2023
- Arrival age 7 months
- R500 / $30
Bula is a sensitive soul who regularly bemoans his lot in life with whines for attention. He arrived at HESC with the help of wildlife organisation Saving The Survivors, and it was believed that he was around seven months of age. His mom was old and couldn’t produce enough milk to feed him, so an intervention was necessary to ensure his survival. His mom passed away shortly afterwards. Bula was placed in the HESC quarantine area where he was cared for until he could be introduced to Esmé and Thaba.
Esmé
- Female
- Arrival October 2017
- Arrival age 1 month
- R500 / $30
Esmé is the gentle surrogate mom who takes caring for all the calves in her stride. She also loves the camera and will ensure that the spotlight falls on her when filming begins. Esmé arrived at HESC in 2017. She was only a month old but already malnourished because her mother couldn’t produce enough milk to feed her. She was given bottle feeds every three hours to revive her – and she grew into a healthy young calf. She spent her days socialising with Mielie and David, who were both also young when they were introduced to Esmé, and each created their own special bond with her.
THE RHINOS AT HESC (HOEDSPRUIT ENDANGERED SPECIES CENTRE)
The rhinos available for fostering above are housed at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC). Wildlife Conservation Trust is the official fundraising facilitator for HESC.