Rehabilitated rhino calves released back into the wild

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After years of rehabilitation at the Zululand Rhino Orphanage, rhinos Mpilo and Makhosi were successfully released into their new, wild home.

‘Mpilo and Makhosi who were both rehabilitated at the Zululand Rhino Orphanage since they were young calves are a conservation success story, and now, they will finally go back into the wild and begin to contribute back to the wild white rhino populations of South Africa,’ wrote Wildlands on Facebook.

Makhosi was the first to arrive at the orphanage in 2016. The drought that the country was experiencing at this time left her severely dehydrated and malnourished.

Two years later, she was joined by Mpilo, who was 9 months at the time. His mother was brutally killed by poachers.

‘Rehabilitating the two calves was not an easy task as rhino are highly dependent on their mothers for the first few years of life, but the team of staff at the orphanage are excited that we have finally reached the stage when we have to let them go back into the wild, where they belong.