Rangers Find Baby Rhino Making 'Heartbreaking Noises' After Witnessing Mom Be Killed By Poachers

Sep 12, 2018

As you’re probably aware, poaching is a huge issue in areas like Africa. Thousands of different kinds of exotic animals are hunted down every year. Many animals, such as the African rhino, are almost extinct due to the results that poaching can have on their numbers. Other types of animals are being hunted and killed each and every single day. While adult rhinos are often killed so poachers can take their horns, even the babies are killed by these people.

Animal rescuers have recently observed a mother rhino that was taken out by poachers. Through the entire experience, her baby rhino attempted to stay by her side and unfortunately was also attacked by the poachers. Even though it was too late for his mother, the rescuers knew they needed to save the baby.

The team is called Care for Wild Africa, and a member, Petronel Nieuwouldt, maintains that the baby rhino’s instinct, even at a young age, is to stay nearby his mother in an attempt to protect and save her. These awful poachers had no remorse for the child and attacked him in an effort to procure the horn from his mother. They had no sympathy and showed no remorse for hurting the baby after killing his mother.

The baby rhino suffered gashes from machetes and was transported to the Care for Wild’s sanctuary for rhinos, which is the largest in the entire world. The rhino also suffered injuries to his toenails, so a plastic surgeon for animals was called in to help fix the wounds. They had to sedate the baby rhino and give him fluids in order to treat him.

If he wasn’t treated, he likely would not have survived his injuries.

Thankfully, the baby lives in the sanctuary now and is doing just fine. Unfortunately, he will always feel the emptiness that his mother’s killing left behind. The rhino was named Arthur, and he constantly cries out for his mother at any moment, breaking the hearts of rescuers. Baby rhinos often stay with their mothers until they are three-years-old. This baby was never given the opportunity to learn the skills he needs to survive with his mother since she was taken away from him too soon.

Luckily, the sanctuary that has other rhinos that might attempt to teach this baby, Arthur, the skills he needs to survive. He may never be able to be released into a natural habitat, but he will be safe from poachers at the sanctuary.

The members of Care for Wild Team are staff and volunteers that try to help endangered or injured wild animals. They try to sustain natural environments for the animals and help them avoid unfortunate circumstances such as this one when poachers are involved.

Thankfully, Arthur will be just fine. Hopefully, the poachers who hurt him and his mother can be found and prosecuted, but until then he will be making a recovery at the sanctuary. What are your thoughts on poaching? What do you think we can do to keep animals safe?