** NEW ARRIVAL ***
Yesterday we admitted a young female calf approximately 5 months old.
‘Kabira’ lost her mother to natural causes and was found with her mother very distressed. Fortunately due to the quick response from the team at Madikwe and Medivet clinic, the calf was rescued quickly and appears in good health with no signs of malnutrition or dehydration.
So far Kabira is settling in nicely. She is drinking well, plus she is already eating dry food (this normally takes a few days especially for wild rhinos)! Another positive sign this afternoon- defecation! Some calves struggle to have regular bowel movements during the introduction to the rehabilitation process due to varying factors including stress, immobilising drugs and dehydration. So the team is very pleased with her progress so far.
We will be introducing Kabira to Kabelo in the next few days and will continue to keep you updated with her progress. So far, stable and strong. True to the meaning of ‘Kabira’, powerful.
N.B: The calves are blindfolded and have ear plugs placed in to minimise external stimuli to prevent early arousal from sedation during transportation. We leave the blindfold on and ear plugs in during their arrival as by dampening their senses it minimises stress placed onto the calf during the initial introduction of the rehabilitation process.