Public can assist Tank and his peers
Tank, an orphaned rhino calf, needs your help. His mother is one of the 189 rhinos that have been killed by poachers so far this year.
NELSPRUIT – Meet Tank, the latest arrival at the Care for Wild Africa rehabilitation centre. This rhino orphan arrived at his new place of residence on March 19 from the Kruger National Park. He joined Satara and Tana, two calves that were also recently orphaned due to poaching.
It was evident soon after his arrival that Tank had given up on life, said centre founder Ms Petronel Niewoudt. It was only the continued efforts of centre staff and volunteers to surround him with a positive energy that changed his course and drove him to accept that first bottle of milk, she reckons.
However, Tank and the other calves desperately need the assistance of the Lowveld community. One calf drinks 14 to 16 litres of Denkavit (foal) milk per day and it costs Care for Wild nearly R3 000 per week on milk for the three orphans. Besides the milk, their diet consists of lucerne and horse pellets. Glucose is also an essential part of the nutritional mix for traumatised calves.
Caregiver Ms Angelique de Klerk explains that stressed rhino calves are prone to stomach ulcers, and run through a box of 30 Ultak tablets in less than a week.
It costs around R120 000 to raise a rhino calf, per year, and the current rate of poaching is necessitating the construction of additional bomas to house incoming orphans.
This is what you can do:
• Visit Mopani Pharmacy and ask for a 5kg glucose container. You can purchase it for care for Wild Africa and leave it at the pharmacy for collection. A tub costs in the region of R300. Other medicinal purchases you can make and donate include: Biorem, Protexin Premium, Omega Coat Oil 5litres, Equibalance, Ultak 300mg tablets.
• Items you can acquire from Midfeeds include horse ellets, teff and lucerne.
• Visit your local cooperation and purchase Denkavit milk for foals. According to De Klerk, they would welcome a 15kg bag of this powder. “What would also be welcome are calf teats for the bottles!” de Klerk adds.
• Donations for the construction of another boma are welcome and include poles, nails, screws, corrugated roofing, wood, and a wood saw.
Schools, organisations and individuals who want to contribute can contact Niewoudt on 082-825-8735 or visit them on Facebook at Care for Wild .Africa.
Read about the other orphaned calves at the centre here.
A shocking photo and video highlights the realities of rhino poaching within the Kruger National Park.
