Another great place the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund set up for us to visit. Most tourists never get a chance to see it.

It’s so enjoyable to be around people that are passionate about their work. Karen, Blake, and the team at Zululand Rhino Orphanage  are doing a wonderful job caring for these intelligent, sensitive, and emotional animals.  Rhinos are social creatures that bond with each other and not necessarily a sibling. The handlers can tell who have bonded and when it’s time, usually two or three of them will be released together.

They are orphaned because poachers are killing the rhinos to harvest their horns. Poaching is a huge problem. It’s a lucrative market because there is a wide spread belief in Asia, and particularly China, that the ground up horns are an aphrodisiac and have curative powers for all kinds of ailments, including curing cancer. It’s all a complete myth, none of it is true, yet it’s been embedded in their culture for centuries therefore it’s hard to convince them otherwise. The horn is made up of keratin, same substance in human hair and nails.

To save the rhino  population many parks and reserves are now darting the rhinos and shaving down their horns. This has to be done every 12 to 18 months. It is sad to see the rhinos without their big horns, but it’s better than seeing them dead.

They are currently being fed four times a day. The two dry erase boards show their ages, weights, how much milk and pellets they get plus meds and supplements.

Nice udders on the milk bottles.

Good video of the team feeding white rhinos.

                         Blake and Karen feeding the one orphan that is blind.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of white rhinos is their square lips and mouth used for grazing. The black rhinos have a hooked upper lip for grasping leaves and branches from trees and bushes.

This photo puts a smile on my face and makes me chuckle.

Nice toes!

Not so nice flies.

On this video you can hear the noises they make.

Karen talks about their teething.

These two white rhinos are about to be released. They have had a successful upbringing.

The one black rhino they are caring for is in this pen. This was as close as we were allowed to get. So he wouldn’t be lonely they put a goat in the pen. The two get along great!

Wildlife Warriors is the name of their anti-poaching unit. There’s always a team patrolling.

Karen’s statement tattoo

Keep up the great work Zululand Rhino Orphanage!