On 28^th March 2024, our team at the orphanage were preparing for the arrival of yet another new orphaned rhino. We were not sure what to expect of the newest arrival but were ready to care for her as best as we could.

A few days earlier, she would have been playing and exploring the bush with her mother in the province of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Until poachers had struck at night, brutally killing her mother for her horns to later make its way into traditional medicinal use, a highly lucrative market. They did not stop there, they had shot her in the process, leaving her in agonising pain beside her mother’s dead body.

She was later named Qhawe, meaning warrior in Zulu. She fought hard, as did we beside her, to the very end. Unfortunately, Qhawe’s story is not uncommon, the future of many rhinos has been faced with exceptional challenges most of which are brought on by humankind.

Nothing could have prepared us for the horrific sight of a heavily injured orphan who battled to save her mothers life. Qhawe was only about five and a half months old and was left in a very vulnerable state alone in the bush. She required intensive care to treat her injuries and to rehabilitate her, the team led by Simoné Marshall-Smith (ZRO Manager) and vet Dr Trever Viljoen fought around the clock in a desperate attempt to save her life. Little did we know it would become some of the most exhausting and emotional days we had experienced.

We never dreamed we would have the privilege of helping rhino orphans. It happened by chance, although under incredibly tragic circumstances, on 20th February 2017, when poachers attacked a regional rhino orphanage. As a result, fear of this ongoing security threat was the deciding factor in the facility closing its doors. With the rhino orphans urgently needing a home, the Zululand Conservation Trust stepped up, deciding to shoulder the responsibility and costs.

We worked tirelessly against the clock to build these orphans a comfortable and suitable facility to call home. Thanks to our hardworking team of resourceful employees, we built a 3.5-hectare boma for the two oldest orphans, Storm and Nandi. On 14th March 2017, it was the most rewarding experience watching the two black rhino orphans take their first tentative steps into their new home. The hard work had only begun!

Next, we set about preparing the enclosure for the remaining three orphans who required round-the-clock care. Thankfully, with the incredible support of Container Conversions, we set up a facility in a matter of weeks, kitted out with a kitchen for milk preparations and a safe and warm sleeping area.

By April 2017, we had managed to move the two white rhinos, Makhosi and Isomiso, as well as Charlie, their little hippo friend, into a new home. Our story doesn’t end there, though. One month later, while the orphans were settling in, we received a devastating call to help a calf from another reserve. For six cold, rainy days, this tiny calf had survived next to the lifeless carcass of his mother, who had been poached.

Having just opened our doors, every space we had was already occupied. But that didn’t deter us, and we managed to build a temporary living space for the little calf, who we named Ntoto. While the Zululand Rhino Orphanage might have been born from tragedy, ultimately, our story is one of hope. Nurturing and raising these precious survivors is of the utmost importance to us. It is our mission to ensure that they are released back into the wild where they belong.