Rhino Thandi and Family

A big thank you to Kariega ranger Tayla Jane McCurdy for sharing these recent pictures of Thandi.

It was a great day when the author of the children’s book Ogres of Greed made a substantial financial donation to the Kariega Foundation Trust for for the Save the Rhino Project. We are incredibly grateful for this generous donation.

Rhinos are one of the few megaherbivores (plant-eaters that weigh more than 900 kilograms or 2,000 pounds) still alive. Recently their numbers have been dramatically reduced with the increase of poaching. Poachers killed over 1,000 rhinos in South Africa during 2013 and 376 have been reportedly killed by poachers this year. We simply cannot allow them to become extinct.

Thandi has not been in a photographic mood too much of late. But here are some recent pictures taken by Jason Loest - Kariega operations manager and Thandi's keeper. She's pictured with the young calf (not so small anymore!) of her female companion. Thanks Jason for sharing with us.

Remembering Themba with Hope in our Hearts for the Rhino species. Exactly two years ago today Themba the Rhino passed away. On the 2 March 2012 he was one of three rhino poached at Kariega Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape. He was also one of the two that made it through the night. Sadly on the 25 March Themba passed away after a hard struggle.

Today our thoughts go back to that dreadful day two years ago when we found our three rhinos after poachers had attacked them. We think about our unnamed bull that died during the night, the fight for survival and tragic death of Themba and the amazing recovery of Thandi.

During a recent checkup on rhino Thandi, Dr Fowlds and the Kariega team replaced her tracking collar. The Chipembere Rhino Foundation (CRF) donated the collar and we are very grateful for their ongoing support and generosity.

Kariega ranger and talented photographer, Brendon Jennings, recently shared these words and picture of rhino Thandi