Big Rhinos Need Big Hearts Too

To our wonderful donors! 

We are so proud to announce in our HESC October report that Stompie and Balu, two orphaned white rhinos rehabilitated at our Centre have recently been released into the wild into an approved and protected reserve. In all, HESC has successfully rehabilitated 13 rhinos of which nine have been released back into the wild.

The two rhinos Stompie and Balu spent close on five years at HESC. Stompie came to HESC as the victim of a brutal poaching incident in which his mother was killed for her horn when he was only eight months old. When the little guy was found next to his dying mother, all but dead himself, his tail had been bitten off and his rectum chewed by presumably a hyena. Numerous treatments saved his life and restored his dignity.

Balu was brought to HESC bewildered and terrified when he was only two weeks old and weighing around 50 kg. He was not a poaching victim but had lost his mother in a hailstorm. About seven months younger than Stompie, the two soon became best mates and inseparable. Their favourite pastime was taking mud baths together.

Despite the traumatic events of their youth, Stompie and Balu are now free to live their lives as triumphant survivors and HESC is thankful for the privilege it had of accompanying them on their road to recovery and adulthood.

Following the release of Stompie and Balu, HESC now has the capacity again of offering a home to other rhinos in need of rehabilitation and to this end has been upgrading and strengthening its facilities at the Centre. In addition to rehabilitating animals, HESC also educates and creates awareness in the community about the consequences of rhino poaching on ecosystems and their sustainability.

• For security reasons details of the release and the current destination are limited. However, regular feedback will be provided on how the released animals are adapting in their new environment. Initial reports indicate that they are doing well.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported our Stompie and Balu's journey, as well as ours. 

Please continue supporting us where you can, 2020 has been an incredibly difficult year. A big portion of HESC's income is from visitors, which was not possible for the majority of this year, and sadly, our main source market visitors are still not allowed to travel to South Africa. If you can assist in any way, we will be so grateful. 

All the best for the last few months of the year. 

From your HESC Team