[Scroll down for English story]

Daar is min inwoners wat die hartroerende beeldmateriaal kan vergeet van die renosterkalfie wat treur by die karkas van sy dooie ma.

Dié kalfie, later gedoop as Pemba, se ma is in Junie vanjaar in die Nwanedi Natuurreservaat in die Tshipise-omgewing afgemaai deur renosterstropers vir haar horings. ‘n Ondersoekspan wat die gru-ontdekking gemaak het, het ‘n erg ontwaterde en verwese Pemba gekry waar hy sy ma se droë bloed probeer oplek het. Hy was toe maar net ‘n maand oud.

Ná sy nagmerrie-ondervinding is Pemba verskuif na die Renoster Weeshuis naby Mokopane, waar hy nou sal bly tot hy oud genoeg is om weer in die natuur vrygelaat te word. Die Zoutpansberger het verlede Vrydag die lang pad aangedurf om bietjie vir hom te gaan kuier.

Die eerste om te groet is die weeshuis se waghond, Dumba, wat al van doer af aankom en teen mens kom opspring. Vikki Horsley, een van die weeshuis se bestuurders, moet maar so bo-oor Dumba die bekendstellings doen.

Sy is ‘n Brit wat haar hart verloor het toe sy vir die eerste keer van aangesig tot aangesig kennis gemaak het met weeshuisrenosters. Sy het by die Kruger Nasionale Park (KNP) haar opleiding as veldgids voltooi, maar het vinnig besluit dit is nie vir haar nie. ‘n Vriend het haar vertel van Suid-Afrika se eerste renosterweeshuis wat in Limpopo gestig is, en die res is geskiedenis, soos hulle sê. “Ek het vir hulle gesê hulle kan my maar probeer wegjaag as hulle wil, maar ek gaan bly en help,” vertel Vikki. Sy werk saam met Karen Trendler, een van die land se topkenners as dit kom by die rehabilitasie van renosters, en ook ‘n vennoot in die weeshuisprojek.

By die weeshuis se werf hang daar ‘n rustige stilte, wat net elke nou en dan onderbreek word deur voëls se gekwetter. Dit is amper tyd vir middagete, en Pemba is besig om ‘n uiltjie te knip in die skaduwee saam met sy maat Muffin. 

Die tweetjies, wat in ‘n geëlektrifiseerde kamp van hulle eie bly, het egter vinnig van slaap vergeet toe Vikki hulle roep. Nes kinders stoei hulle vir aandag. Muffin is sowat ‘n maand jonger as Pemba, en was ook ‘n slagoffer van stropers. Vikki wys die littekens wat die byle gelos het op Muffin se gesig. 

Ten spyte hiervan het die twee renostertjies met die tyd saam goed aangepas by hulle nuwe huis. Volgens Vikki was Pemba verskriklik onrustig en menssku toe hy by die weeshuis aangeland het. “Alles was vir hom vreemd en die kos was ook nog kunsmatig.”

Pemba het egter goed aangesterk, soveel so dat toe dit tyd word vir Muffin om sy intrek te neem, wou Pemba aanvanklik niks daarvan weet nie. “Pemba het die heeltyd vir Muffin weggestamp, Muffin kon nie naby my kom nie,” sê Vikki. Pemba, vertel Vikki, het ook maats gemaak met ‘n vlakvark en haar kleintjies wat van tyd tot tyd by die kampie insluip. “Hy het nou die dag lekker saam met hulle in die modder gespeel.”

Nou is die twee onafskeidbaar, en dit wil lyk of Pemba die rol van die ouboet ingeneem het. Muffin volg hom orals waar hy gaan.

Op ses maande is Pemba ook nie meer klein nie, maar trek hy al die skaal op meer as 250kg. Pemba kry agt liter melk per voeding en Muffin sewe-en-‘n-half liter. Elke voedingsessie is sowat drie ure uitmekaar, afhangend van hoe vinnig die melk deur hulle sisteme werk.

In die natuur gee die ma-renoster glo melk op die kalf se aandrang. Boonop moet elke kalf se melk volgens sy eie spesifieke voedingsbehoeftes aangemaak word. Tussendeur eet hulle voerpille en lusern.

Behalwe vir Pemba en Muffin, is daar nog baie ander wesies wat deur Vikki, Karen en ander vrywilligers versorg word. Weens veiligheidsrisiko kan die presiese getal wesies nie bekendgemaak word aan die publiek nie. Kort na Pemba se aankoms is twee van die weeshuis se renosters deur stropers geskiet. ‘n Renosterbul, wat as ‘n ouer vir die wesies gebruik is, is doodgeskiet en sy horings afgekap. ‘n Renosterkoei is gewond, maar sy het gelukkig oorleef.

Die doel van die weeshuis, ‘n hartseer noodsaaklikheid, is om te sorg dat die wesies gespeen word en in ‘n veilige omgewing geplaas word waar hulle nie weer die slagoffers van stropers sal word nie. Kalfies bly totdat hulle sowat ‘n jaar oud is en van die melk gespeen is, voordat hulle weer in hulle natuurlike omgewing teruggeplaas word.

Dit is nog nie seker waarheen Pemba sal gaan nie, omdat hy die enigste van twee oorlewende renosters van die Nwanedi Reservaat is.

“Een ding is vir seker: hy gaan ‘n groot seun word,” het Vikkie gesê.

English Version

Few can forget the gut-wrenching video footage of the little rhino calf that was weeping at the lifeless carcass of his mother.

His mum became a victim of rhino poachers during June this year in the Nwanedi Nature Reserve in the Tshipise area. Her horns were chopped off. The calf, which was later named Pemba by his rescuers, was left for dead and found by an investigating team, licking up his mother’s dried-up blood. At that stage, Pemba was only a month old.

After these traumatic events, Pemba was moved to the Rhino Orphanage near Mokopane, where he will be staying until he is old enough to be released into the wild again. Last week Friday (29th) the Zoutpansberger undertook the venture of visiting Pemba to check in on him.

The first to greet us was Dumba, the guard dog of the orphanage. Vikki Horsley, one of the orphanage’s managers, had to do the introductions while reminding Dumba of his manners.

Vikki is a Brit who fell in love with the orphanage rhinos the first time she met them. She had first qualified as a field guide at the Kruger National Park (KNP), but soon realised that it was not her true passion. After she had heard from a friend about South Africa’s first ever rhino orphanage opening in Limpopo, the rest was history. “I told them they could do what they wanted, but I was going to stay and help,” said Vikki. She is working alongside Karen Trendier, who is also a partner in the orphanage and one of the country’s leading experts in the field of rhino rehabilitation.

At the orphanage there is a peaceful tranquillity, unique to the surrounding bushveld that one finds oneself in. Only the song of birds can be heard occasionally.

It was almost lunch time, and Pemba was taking a nap in the shade with his pal Muffin. All sleep was quickly forgotten, however, when Vikki rustled the pair up. Just like kids, they fought for their share of Vikki’s attention. Muffin, a bull calf who is about a month younger than Pemba, was also the victim of poachers. Close observation reveals the scars that a poacher’s axe left on his face. “Yes, even little rhinos fall victim to them [poachers],” remarked Vikki.

Despite their woeful past, both these two calves have adapted very well to their new home. According to Vikki, it took Pemba some time to adapt properly. “He was on edge, he was skittish, and he came to this environment where everything was artificial.”

Nonetheless, each day Pemba grew stronger, so much so that when Muffin came to the orphanage, Pemba would have none of that and was very jealous. “Pemba would become between me and Muffin all the time; he did not like Muffin at all,” said Vikki. Some time later, said Vikki, Pemba also befriended a sneaky warthog and her little ones. “The other day I found all of them playing in the mud.”

Nowadays, Pemba and Muffin are inseparable, and it would seem as if Pemba has taken on the role of elder brother. Everywhere Pemba goes, Muffin is not far behind.

At the age of six months, Pemba is also not that little anymore, and weighs more than 250kg. Pemba gets eight litres of milk per feeding, while Muffin gets seven-and-a-half litres. The pair gets fed three hours apart, depending on how fast the milk is processed through their system. In the wild, the rhino mum normally gives milk as the calf demands it. Hence, every calf’s milk is made according to his or her own dietary demands. Apart from formula, the calves also receive pellets and lucerne.

Apart from Pemba and Muffin, there are also other rhino orphans that are being taken care of by Vikki, Karen and other volunteers. For security reasons, Vikki could not disclose the exact number of orphans.

The purpose of the orphanage, which has become a sad necessity, is to ensure that the calves grow up and can be placed in a secure environment where they will not become the victims of poaching. Calves stay at the orphanage until they are about a year old and weaned off the milk before they are rehabilitated.

At this stage, nobody is sure where Pemba will end up, because he is one of only two remaining rhinos from the Nwanedi Reserve.

“One thing is for sure: Pemba is going to be a big boy when he grows up,” said Vikki.