On the 19th December we got a call from a private reserve in the area to say that a rhino cow had been brutally poached and murdered and that she had left behind a little 4 month old calf who had also been hacked four times with an axe while he was trying to protect her. The calf was healthy but terrified and traumatized and in desperate need of a home. Dr Trever Viljoen rushed to the scene to fetch the calf but while trying to dart him the calf was spooked and ran into some thickets. When they found him again he had joined up with another rhino cow and was following her around.

But she would unfortunately not be able to feed him as she was not lactating and he was still way too young to survive without milk. The dense vegetation made it too difficult to get close to the calf and his new friend so a helicopter was called out to dart the calf from the air. Helicopter pilot, Jason Fischer, flew in to the rescue and Dr Viljoen was able to dart the calf and transport him through to us.

To honour the crucial role that the Heligistix team played in rescuing this calf it was decided that he would be named Bhanoyi which means helicopter in Zulu. Bhanoyi was very nervous and traumatised and would call for his mother through the night but in time he eventually settled down into his new home and his wounds healed nicely. Bhanoyi was released from the facility in November 2021 weighing just over a tonne. We follow up on him regularly and he has been adjusting well to his new life in the wild.

ADOPT BHANOYI