AN EARLY START FOR SOLO’S CALF
On the 2nd of July, our tourism office received a report that a solitary young black rhino had been spotted in the middle of the vast expanse of open plains near Morani.
Our rangers quickly made their way to the calf’s side where they noted he bore superficial injuries all over his body. Unused to being alone, his little ears swung from side to side frantically as he tried to re-orient himself. He was visibly shaken and his eyes anxiously darted to the dense bushes southward.
A tell-tale lightning shaped scar on his left ear, as well as an estimation of his age, allowed the rangers to immediately identify him as Solo’s second calf. Treating his injuries would jeopardise chances of him re-uniting with his mother- who was most likely trying to trace him through his scent. Additionally, this would mean darting the calf, which in itself is a risky undertaking.
A young, lost, scared baby rhino all alone in the open plains is easy prey for lions or hyenas. Therefore, while one group of rangers set out to find his mother, another sat by his side to ward off any danger. As dusk fell, he began to move but was headed nowhere near his mother’s territory. Instead, he was slowly making his way in the opposite direction, past the Morani area.
The rangers soon found out why, when the second group sent a radio message. Solo had been spotted darting into the bushes with a tiny hours-old calf by her side! This explained everything! When black rhino mothers have a new calf, they often chase away the older one. However, this typically happens when the older calf is 2.5 to 3 years old. Given that Solo’s second calf is significantly younger than this (1yr 10 months old), he must have tried to cling to his mother’s side, at which point she might have forcibly pushed him away through the bushes.
As with all young rhinos, his curiosity has fast outweighed his fear. Soon, our rangers found that Solo’s calf was trailing young female black rhino pairs – Lola and Nabuul, as well Betty and Marine.
Eventually, he has found more permanent company with sub-adult males David and Bruno. All his injuries have healed and our rangers report that he is in great health. Despite this unusually early start, this brave boy seems to be doing just fine in the wild. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on his progress.
You can support our conservation efforts and help us take care of this young, brave rhino by naming him. If you would like to do so, kindly contact our Marketing Manager: elodie.sampere@olpejetaconservancy.org