Thompsons Africa previously provided funds towards the upkeep of Gertjie.  With the incredible news of his release back into the wild, our ‘Little G’ is no longer up for adoption (which makes us TRULY HAPPY!!! – read more about that here if you haven’t already – https://thompsonsafricadbn.wordpress.com/2019/09/02/little-g-released-back-into-the-wild/).

We are committed to our role of supporting Rescued Rhinos @ HESC and watching them progress from RESCUED to REHABILITATED to RELEASED.

Who do YOU think we should adopt? 

We are struggling to decide which of these gorgeous rhinos we should adopt.  They’re all tugging at our heartstrings and making it VERY difficult for us to choose one!

Stompie

Stompie arrived at HESC in critical condition in October 2015 when he was approximately 8 months old.  This brave and determined young rhino calf not only had to go through the horrific ordeal of losing his mother at the hands of violent poachers, but somehow survived an attack himself by what could have been a hyena.  He lost his tail and suffered damage to his rectum area.  Stompie underwent several treatments at HESC.  A week after Stompie’s arrival, HESC received another rhino calf, Balu.  Although 7 months younger that Stompie, the two were eager to join each other and formed their own special bond.

 

Balu

Balu is one of HESC’s more positive stories as his mother wasn’t poached.  He lost his mother in a hail storm and was found running up to the antipoaching vehicle.  He was brought in at the age of 2 weeks weighing just 50 kg.  Balu was an adventurous rhino calf who, despite his small size, was most happy to hang out with Gertjie and Matimba. Although very inquisitive, he always returned to Stompie’s side where, to this day, he
feels the safest.

Olivia

Olivia arrived at HESC at the age of 4 months in April 2016.  She was found standing next to her mother’s carcass after a poaching incident, very dehydrated and weak. Olivia’s caring and loving behaviour is evident in the way she cares for the three other calves that are with her.  Olivia was named after the reserve owner’s daughter and will one day return to the reserve where she belongs.

Khulula

Khulula was one of HESC’s more difficult rhino calves as she struggled to get used to the handlers who worked with her and to accept the human hand as a positive.  She is just a month younger than Olivia and the decision was made to pair the two up to see whether Olivia could show Khulula that she could trust the handlers.  Luckily this worked and since then Khulula has stayed close to her adopted sisters’ side.

Nhlanhla

Nhlanhla is the youngest bull at the Centre.  His mother was a very old cow and did not produce milk so Nhlanhla was brought to HESC at the age of only one week old.  Weighing just 40 kg on arrival the young bull was paired up with Olivia and Khulula.  Nhlanhla loved the idea of new friends and family and decided he needed another sister.  He climbed through the fence and fetched Lula, bringing her back to his older sisters, to join their crash.  Since the introduction the four have been together with Olivia leading the crash.

Lula

Lula lost her mother to poachers when she was only 4 months old.  She was a very scared and traumatised calf when she arrived at HESC.  She quickly realised, by hearing the other three youngsters call, that she wasn’t the only rhino in the boma and made sure that she could see her neighbours.  After Nhlanhla came and fetched her, she has been quite close to him and can be found short on his heels when called for feeding time.

Esme

Esme is the youngest rhino orphan at HESC.  Her mother was a young and inexperienced cow who couldn’t produce milk for Esme.  On arrival she was extremely malnourished.  Esme was the first rhino calf introduced to an Anatolian Shepard dog, Dawid, as a companion. It took a few days but as soon as the two were used to each other the relationship was remarkable and unbreakable.  Esme has a loving soft soul and has been one of the most relaxed calves at the Centre – just wanting love and attention every chance she gets.

Find out more about how you can make a difference and play a part in the conservation of our precious wildlife.

Email: info@thompsonsafrica.co.za / viki.haasbroek@thompsonsafrica.co.za

Tel: +27 31 275 3500

https://www.thompsonsafrica.com/about/contact-us

We are proud to be part of a joint initiative by The Travel Corporation family of brands, called The TreadRight Foundation — a not-for-profit that works to ensure that the environment and communities we explore, remain vibrant for future generations.