our baby rhino orphans
read about the baby rhinos who need your help.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
4 months
Place of Origin
Private reserve
What happened to their mom?
Shamara’s mother suffered an injury before becoming pregnant and stopped producing milk due to the trauma.
What makes them special?
Shamara is a miracle. Due to an injury by a hippo, no-one expected Shamara’s mom to fall pregnant and carry a calf full-term. Shamara means “ready for battle”, and this feisty little wonder lives up to her tenacious name every day.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
6 months
Place of Origin
Private reserve
What happened to their mom?
Sadly, Amali’s mother was poached.
What makes them special?
After her mother was killed, Amali’s original owners had to urgently capture her by hand. While in a holding enclosure at her reserve, she got stuck in the water provision. Despite the ordeal, Amali almost immediately accepted love and comfort from her human moms. Although Amali has a sweet nature with her carers, she gets extremely jealous when Shamara is around. Amali means “hope”, in Swahili.
Gender
Male
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
7 months
Place of Origin
Private reserve
What happened to their mom?
We are sad to report that his mother was poached.
What makes them special?
Duane is bold and not scared to let his carers know that he’s a “proper” rhino. Duane was sadly the last surviving member of his family – all his family members were cruelly killed by poachers. Duane has found peace and happiness with us, and is best friends with Robynne, a black rhino also in our care. Duane contracted a deadly tick-borne disease and received the world’s first whole blood transfusion on a rhino, which saved his life.
Gender
Female
Species
Black Rhino
Age on Arrival
14 months
Place of Origin
Private reserve
What happened to their mom?
We think that Robynne’s mother died of old age.
What makes them special?
Black rhinos are known to be more skittish than White Rhinos, and Robynne is no different. It took us time to gain her trust, but she ultimately warmed up to the carers. She is best friends with Duane.
Gender
Male
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
10-20 days
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Marang’s mother was cruelly poached. He is one of the smallest baby rhinos we’ve taken in at the Orphanage.
What makes them special?
Marang used to fall asleep while standing – on paving, carers, a mattress or even a log. His name means “Ray of Sunshine” because he loves basking in the sun.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
5 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Her mother was killed by poachers.
What makes them special?
Mofalodi went missing after she was spotted alongside her mother’s carcass. She’d managed to survive on her own for 4 days and had travelled several kilometres before she was found and captured. Mofalodi means “Survivor” in Setswana.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
8 weeks
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Sadly, Charlotte’s mother was poached.
What makes them special?
Charlotte has a sweet and gentle nature. She just wants to be near her carers and snuggles closely with them every night. She loves belly rubs and is also lively and playful.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
8 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Alexa’s mother was killed by poachers.
What makes them special?
Alexa is a very sweet-natured and affectionate rhino. She loves to nibble on Lesego while he’s sleeping.
Gender
Male
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
6 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Lesego’s mother was cruelly poached and he was found the next day.
What makes them special?
He is such a gentle boy and absolutely loves milk!
Gender
Male
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
9 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Bombi’s mother was killed by poachers and he was rescued the same day.
What makes them special?
Bombi is a daring, brave little rhino and is very curious about his carers.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
5 weeks
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
J’aime’s story is quite sad. Her mother was cruelly poached, and when J’aime tried to protect her mom at just 5 weeks old, the poachers attacked her with a machete.
What makes them special?
J’aime means “I love” in French. She was named after the loss of a precious rhino in a French Zoo. J’aime lets her carers know when she’s hungry by nibbling on their arms.
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Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
2 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Nandi’s mother was poached a week before she was found. She had joined up with another rhino cow and calf.
What makes them special?
Nandi is sweet and gentle. She loves to drool all over her carers.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
6 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Thula’s mother was poached. The bullet that killed Thula’s mother also passed through Thula’s shoulder, hitting cartilage and part of her scapula.
What makes them special?
Thula is a very vocal rhino and loves to “talk”. She’s very gentle and has been crazy about milk from the moment she arrived. Thula is completely blind, and will remain under our care for the rest of her life.
Gender
Male
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
5 months
Place of Origin
Waterberg
What happened to their mom?
Nenkani’s mother was cruelly poached along with two other rhinos on the same reserve.
What makes them special?
Nenkani means “stubborn”, and this little rhino really lives up to his name. He’s very independent and will test the boundaries with his carers, given half a chance.
Gender
Male
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
< 1 month
Place of Origin
Private reserve
What happened to their mom?
We’re not sure what happened to Kwayera’s mother.
What makes them special?
Kwayera was found wandering alone in the reserve. Kwayera means “Dawn” because we promise this little guy many more sunrises. Kwayera is playful and is very adventurous – he loves to explore! Despite having suffered quite a few setbacks and neurological problems, he has a strong will to live.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
5 weeks
Place of Origin
Private reserve
What happened to their mom?
Impi’s mother is still alive.
What makes them special?
Thanks to Impi’s courageous mother, Manala, Impi survived an attack by 12 lions. Impi and her mother were both brought to the safety of The Rhino Orphanage where the incredible team at Animotion created and fit a brace to help stabilise her leg that was injured by the lion attack.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
7 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Grace was found wandering the reserve alone and rangers were unable to locate her mother.
What makes them special?
Despite her small size, Grace has a feisty personality and keeps her carers smiling. She’s super clumsy and tends to wander off on her own.
Gender
Male
Species
Black Rhino
Age on Arrival
18-24 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Stevie’s mother died of natural causes.
What makes them special?
Because Black Rhinos are critically endangered, our big dream for Stevie is that he finds a mate and has calves with her. There are so few surviving Black Rhinos, and Stevie can play a vital part in ensuring that they don’t go extinct.
Gender
Male
Species
Black Rhino
Age on Arrival
11 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Ryan’s mother died of natural causes.
What makes them special?
When Ryan arrived, he couldn’t get the knack of suckling from a bottle. Eventually, he realised he could lie down to drink. This makes perfect sense, as this is the way baby rhinos drink in the wild once they’re too big to fit under their mom’s belly. Ryan is destined to become part of a Black Rhino breeding program. We hope this breeding program will restore Black Rhino populations and remove them from their critically endangered status.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
5 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Kabira’s mother died from injuries sustained when a rhino bull tried to mount her.
What makes them special?
Kabira’s name means “powerful” and is well suited to this sassy little girl. Kabira loves to run and play with everyone. Her favourite activity is to scratch on rocks or tree stumps.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
4 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Jessie’s mother was poached.
What makes them special?
Jessie was so traumatised after her mother was killed that she had an anxiety attack within her first few days of being at the orphanage. However, this little rhino was so desperate for comfort and food that she accepted the carers immediately. Jessie is extremely gentle and has never shown aggression toward her carers.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
4 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Amelia’s mother was poached.
What makes them special?
Amelia was so lonely and distressed after her mother was killed, that when a ranger and his guests found her, she walked right up to the ranger and lay down next to him. Her gut was empty, and she was severely dehydrated, which indicated that she’d survived several days without her mother. She was so relieved to have contact, comfort and affection that she immediately accepted her carers as her new mom.
Gender
Male
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
1 week
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Mapimpi’s mother was poached
What makes them special?
Mapimpi means “let him be humble.” Mapimpi was found when he was only 7 days old. His mother and another sub-adult bull – most likely an older brother – had both been brutally killed. Mapimpi is very “talkative” and loves to let his carers know when he wants his milk.
Gender
Male
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
18 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Kei’s mother died of natural causes.
What makes them special?
Poor Kei was so traumatised by the loss of his mother that he didn’t stop calling for her for 14 days. He settled in a little better after he was introduced to two females. However, when the carers let him into the boma (open-air enclosure), Kei broke through two fences in desperate search of his mother. He was recaptured, and we introduced him to an older female who serves as an “adopted mum”. She’s is a great source of comfort to him.
Gender
Male
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
3-4 months
Place of Origin
Laphalala
What happened to their mom?
Kolisi’s mother is alive on the reserve.
What makes them special?
Kolisi was attacked by Hyenas. The predators tore off a piece of his right ear and also severely damaged his right hindfoot, causing him to lose two toes. Kolisi developed a life-threatening infection as a result of his injuries. To help him recover and prevent him from losing his leg – or even his life – to the infection, Kolisi had to be removed from his mother and was placed in our care.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
6-7 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
We don’t know what happened to Lacy’s mother.
What makes them special?
Rangers spotted Lacy alone, but she kept on disappearing. After a day of searching for her, the rescue teams assumed she’d found her way back to her mother. However, rangers spotted her alone again the following day and she was finally captured after 3 days of tracking her.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
7-8 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
We’re not sure how Kaytie’s mother died, but she was ultimately eaten by lions.
What makes them special?
Kaytie’s life was in genuine danger when she was discovered, as lions were feeding on her mother’s carcass. Kaytie’s older sibling saved her life by keeping her away from danger. Katie is the sweetest of all the dear rhinos. She’s never shown an ounce of aggression towards the carers, and she bonded with them immediately. Within a few hours of arriving at the orphanage, she drank milk. Although she suffered a bleeding gastric ulcer and had developed ulcers on her eyes, she was 100% healed within a matter of days.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
3 months
Place of Origin
Private reserve
What happened to their mom?
Eve’s mother was poached.
What makes them special?
Eve lost her mom to poachers on New Year’s Eve, which is why we called her Eve. Eve loves her milk and drinks much slower than the other orphans. A Spitting Cobra spat in her eye, but she miraculously regained her vision.
Gender
Male
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
8-10 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Davide’s mother was poached.
What makes them special?
Of all the orphans we have ever cared for, Davide called for his cruelly murdered mother for the longest time. His heart-wrenching cries echoed throughout the reserve for over a week. Whereas other calves usually accept milk within 3 days, Davide was severely traumatised, and refused the milk we offered him. Whereas trauma drove him to initially bash down barriers when he arrived, Davide is actually a gentle soul. He hasn’t shown any aggression towards his carers since they earned his trust.
Gender
Female
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
6 months
Place of Origin
Private reserve
What happened to their mom?
Annie’s mother was cruelly poached.
What makes them special?
Annie had a really rough start after she was rescued. She paced and called for her mother non-stop and refused comfort, love and bottles from her carers. She suffered full-blown anxiety attacks, which meant we had to remove her blindfold before she’d had the chance to take milk. She was in extreme pain and suffered from colic spells for days. She had ulcers on her eyes which were treated and eventually healed. We worked out she was afraid of the dark, which was another source of distress for her. Annie took almost 2 weeks to completely settle and heal.
Gender
Male
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
3 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Kabelo’s mother died from complications due to being shot by poachers 2 years earlier.
What makes them special?
Kabelo means “gift”, and a gift he truly is. Kabelo has a gentle but playful character, and is both curious and brave. He loves his milk and going for walks in the bush.
Gender
Male
Species
White Rhino
Age on Arrival
6 months
Place of Origin
North West Parks
What happened to their mom?
Beckham’s mother was brutally poached.
What makes them special?
The rescue team named Beckham after David Beckham. He earned his name because when the carers initially introduced the bottle to him, he deftly kicked their hands away. Beckham has a strong personality and is a natural leader.
choose your rhino + adopt now