A baby rhino who was found "crying inconsolably" after witnessing poachers murder his mother has been rescued from the wild and is refusing to sleep alone.
The rhino, given the name Gertjie, was rescued on 7 May by staff at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC) in South Africa.
Staff at Hoedspruit found Gertjie crying at his dead mother's side before he was sedated and transported back to the centre.
The Hoedspruit centre is continuing to monitor the four-month-old baby rhino's condition while he is taken on walks to build up his strength and weaned off his daily feeds. He is given lengthy mud-baths which he is said to love.
"A three-month-old baby rhino, anticipated to have been born on [or] around the 19 February, was brought to the HESC after being found next to his dead mother who had been tragically and brutally poached for her horn," a statement from the centre read.
"It was a devastating sight, as the tiny animal would not leave her side, and was crying inconsolably for her."
After being rescued from the wild, Gertjie spent his first night at the Hoedspruit Centre with a human minder and a sheep called Skaap, who is the "surrogate mother" of the centre. In a bid to get closer to her, the thick-skinned creature rolls down on to the floor and affectionately lays his head on her lap.
Rhinos are routinely poached illegally for their ivory horns, which can accumulate more worth than gold on the black market.
At the current rate of killing - one rhino was poached every ten hours in 2013 to meet Asian demand - rhinos could be extinct in the wild by 2026.
Endangered beast the size of four Minis is airlifted to new enclosure in South Africa
Helicopters are used to airlifting precious cargo to safety but nothing could have prepared the crew for transporting this heavy load.
A four tonne white rhino needed to be transferred to a different enclosure in the Zululand region of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa so the animal was airlifted using a harness.
Em Gatland captured the moment the rhino was lifted up by the helicopter in a programme by KZN Wildlife Ezemvelo Game Capture.
The photographer said: 'Taking pictures of the rhino was a surreal feeling and a mixture of emotion.
With the current rhino crisis, to be so up close and personal to the prehistoric creature was a breath-taking experience.'
Rhinos in that area of South Africa are relocated in pairs every year for the benefit of the species and in order to ensure the strength of future bloodlines.
But the location they are moved to is kept secret, to keep the animals safe.
The rhino was first darted with anaesthetic in order for the animal conservationists to undertake the mammoth task of securing the rhino so it could be safely airlifted to its new home.
Ms Gatland added: 'Airlifting the rhino was a big team operation and the biggest difficulty for me was manoeuvring in-between people to get a good picture of the rhino. I didn't want to get in the way of the people working to get the massive mammal airlifted but I'm glad I managed to get some good shots.
'It was a very moving and emotional moment and a completely new experience for me. To be up so close and personal to a prehistoric creature is a breath taking experience. I became emotionally aware of how vulnerable they really are.
'It was a humbling experience to say the least and I couldn't but feel a completely overwhelming desperation for the precious creature. There is an element of danger as I was in a Big 5 reserve in complete wilderness and I needed to have my wits about me. It really gave me a feeling of perspective in this world.'
The rhino will now be closely monitored for five weeks to make sure it is happy in its new environment.
sources：[http://en.twwtn.com/Bignews/69478.html]
The rhino, given the name Gertjie, was rescued on 7 May by staff at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC) in South Africa.
Staff at Hoedspruit found Gertjie crying at his dead mother's side before he was sedated and transported back to the centre.
The Hoedspruit centre is continuing to monitor the four-month-old baby rhino's condition while he is taken on walks to build up his strength and weaned off his daily feeds. He is given lengthy mud-baths which he is said to love.
"A three-month-old baby rhino, anticipated to have been born on [or] around the 19 February, was brought to the HESC after being found next to his dead mother who had been tragically and brutally poached for her horn," a statement from the centre read.
"It was a devastating sight, as the tiny animal would not leave her side, and was crying inconsolably for her."
After being rescued from the wild, Gertjie spent his first night at the Hoedspruit Centre with a human minder and a sheep called Skaap, who is the "surrogate mother" of the centre. In a bid to get closer to her, the thick-skinned creature rolls down on to the floor and affectionately lays his head on her lap.
Rhinos are routinely poached illegally for their ivory horns, which can accumulate more worth than gold on the black market.
At the current rate of killing - one rhino was poached every ten hours in 2013 to meet Asian demand - rhinos could be extinct in the wild by 2026.
Endangered beast the size of four Minis is airlifted to new enclosure in South Africa
Helicopters are used to airlifting precious cargo to safety but nothing could have prepared the crew for transporting this heavy load.
A four tonne white rhino needed to be transferred to a different enclosure in the Zululand region of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa so the animal was airlifted using a harness.
Em Gatland captured the moment the rhino was lifted up by the helicopter in a programme by KZN Wildlife Ezemvelo Game Capture.
The photographer said: 'Taking pictures of the rhino was a surreal feeling and a mixture of emotion.
With the current rhino crisis, to be so up close and personal to the prehistoric creature was a breath-taking experience.'
Rhinos in that area of South Africa are relocated in pairs every year for the benefit of the species and in order to ensure the strength of future bloodlines.
But the location they are moved to is kept secret, to keep the animals safe.
The rhino was first darted with anaesthetic in order for the animal conservationists to undertake the mammoth task of securing the rhino so it could be safely airlifted to its new home.
Ms Gatland added: 'Airlifting the rhino was a big team operation and the biggest difficulty for me was manoeuvring in-between people to get a good picture of the rhino. I didn't want to get in the way of the people working to get the massive mammal airlifted but I'm glad I managed to get some good shots.
'It was a very moving and emotional moment and a completely new experience for me. To be up so close and personal to a prehistoric creature is a breath taking experience. I became emotionally aware of how vulnerable they really are.
'It was a humbling experience to say the least and I couldn't but feel a completely overwhelming desperation for the precious creature. There is an element of danger as I was in a Big 5 reserve in complete wilderness and I needed to have my wits about me. It really gave me a feeling of perspective in this world.'
The rhino will now be closely monitored for five weeks to make sure it is happy in its new environment.
sources：[http://en.twwtn.com/Bignews/69478.html]
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