The first specialist, non-commercial centre for baby rhino orphaned and injured by rhino poaching, will be established at the Wildlife & Cultural Centre at the Legend Golf & Safari Resort in the Waterberg region of South Africa.
A R4-million (approx $500,000) campaign was launched in March to fund the project, which has already gained support from a number of key organisations involved in the war to save the African rhino. The centre will not be open to the public and will be protected by state-of-the-art security.
“The orphanage will have all the specialist medical facilities to care for these often extremely young and badly injured creatures, from an intensive care unit to, we hope, a special ambulance to transport them under proper medical supervision. Security will be extreme. It is vital we give them the very best chance of one day returning to the wild where they belong, so they will only be cared for by the medical and rehabilitation staff and the public will only be allowed to view them via CCTV,” said Arrie van Deventer, who runs the Wildlife & Cultural Centre.
Van Deventer’s Wildlife Centre is already home many endangered species being rehabilitated. He has spent the past eight years building the centre as a conservation haven and believes the orphanage will offer a significant contribution to rhino conservation.
“If this world is serious about doing something to help protect and care for orphaned baby rhinos so our grandchildren can still see rhino in the wild, then we will do all we can to raise the funds and beg, steal or borrow the equipment and building materials,” said Van Deventer.
To help, or for more information, please contact pete@theazaleagroup.com or you can make a donation direct to The Rhino Orphanage.
A R4-million (approx $500,000) campaign was launched in March to fund the project, which has already gained support from a number of key organisations involved in the war to save the African rhino. The centre will not be open to the public and will be protected by state-of-the-art security.
“The orphanage will have all the specialist medical facilities to care for these often extremely young and badly injured creatures, from an intensive care unit to, we hope, a special ambulance to transport them under proper medical supervision. Security will be extreme. It is vital we give them the very best chance of one day returning to the wild where they belong, so they will only be cared for by the medical and rehabilitation staff and the public will only be allowed to view them via CCTV,” said Arrie van Deventer, who runs the Wildlife & Cultural Centre.
Van Deventer’s Wildlife Centre is already home many endangered species being rehabilitated. He has spent the past eight years building the centre as a conservation haven and believes the orphanage will offer a significant contribution to rhino conservation.
“If this world is serious about doing something to help protect and care for orphaned baby rhinos so our grandchildren can still see rhino in the wild, then we will do all we can to raise the funds and beg, steal or borrow the equipment and building materials,” said Van Deventer.
To help, or for more information, please contact pete@theazaleagroup.com or you can make a donation direct to The Rhino Orphanage.