Summer's Story

In the early hours of 5th February 2018, Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary received notification of a possible orphaned calf whose mother had been poached in the Kingfisherspruit area of the Kruger National Park. By 09:30, the poaching incident was confirmed, and a tiny rhino was found lying in blood beside her mother’s body. Veterinarian Dr Louis van Schalkwyk and his team responded by helicopter to dart and rescue the calf.

Due to limited flying hours, the Care for Wild team drove to Skukuza bomas to collect the orphan. Summer, as she was later named, was secured safely in a transport crate and driven back to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), arriving at 15:00. Fortunately, she was not dehydrated or cold, and all her vital signs were stable. Caregivers gently cleaned her with a warm sponge bath to remove the dried blood, and shortly after, she eagerly drank her first bottle of milk, a small but important sign of hope.

Summer spent the next few days in the ICU, gradually learning to trust her caregivers. By 13th February, she was confident enough to walk to the weighing scales, where her first recorded weight was 99 kg. She was soon introduced to fellow orphans Khanya, Rose, and Rubybelle, enjoying the companionship of others while still receiving the extra care she needed.

On 20th May, Care for Wild received a badly injured, three-week-old calf who would later be named Arthur the Brave. Once Arthur was stable, he and Summer were introduced. The connection was instant, the two became inseparable, supporting each other through rehabilitation and now moving together through the rewilding and release programme.