Mourning rhino calf found next to mother killed in machete attack by poachers

'Her death will affect him emotionally long after his physical wounds have healed'

An orphaned white rhino calf is in recovery after he was found with serious injuries, lying next to the body of his dead mother who had been poached for her horns.

In the early hours of 20 May, a section ranger was alerted to a gunshot heard in in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, where the deceased white rhino and her live calf were located.

Both horns had been removed from the mother while the calf had serious injuries from a machete to his back and right foot.

It is believed that the calf sustained injuries during his fight to try and save his mother, the zoo sponsoring him now said this week.

A veterinarian, Peter Buss, stabilised the calf before it was transported by helicopter to Care for Wild Rhino sanctuary, the world’s largest rhino sanctuary and orphanage.

Care for Wild received just 10 minutes notice that an injured calf was being airlifted to them. The team has strict protocols and procedures in place to ensure they are always ready to receive a rhino calf.

Petronel Nieuwoudt, the founder of Care for Wild, put in an urgent call to a plastic surgeon who came out to the sanctuary immediately to stitch up the deep wound in the calf’s back.

Care for Wild caretakers said: “He has been give the regal and brave name of Arthur, a name that suits his determination and spirit to survive.”

Arthur is believed to be very young. While a baby white rhino typically weighs between 40-60 kilograms, he weighed just 80 kilograms upon rescue.

The rescued calf had a cut to his right toenail which had split his nail to the nail bed, and a 4 inch stab wound on his back that cut through cartilage very close to his spine.

The Care for Wild team said it was instinctive for him to try and stay close to his mother to protect her.

“The poachers with no sympathy or hesitation whatsoever lashed out at him so that they could finish their heinous crime of taking his mother’s horn as quickly as possible.

“He still calls for his mother, it is a heart wrenching sound and one that he should never have to make.

“Her death will affect him emotionally long after his physical wounds have healed.”

Safari Zoo, owned by Cumbria Zoo Company have announced sponsorship of “Arthur the Brave” in association with Care for the Wild Rhino and have pledged to raise £1,600 a month for Arthur’s recovery.

Poaching for their horns, which are highly prized in traditional Asian medicine, is the primary threat to white rhinos.

The animals are particularly vulnerable to hunting because they generally move in herds, have a relatively unaggressive nature and poor eye sight.