For most people, Christmas means waking up to presents on this day, celebrating the year and this is what we had planned to do here at Sabi Sabi. However, when a call comes through that there is a Rhino calf that needs help, all the celebrations get put on hold. A rescue plan is now the priority for the day and it needs a monumental effort to make it a success.

It all started early on Christmas morning when one of our Rangers, Mike, called in over the radio that he had found a young White Rhino calf in a mud wallow and was clearly stuck and in distress. The young Rhino was in the company of its mother, who despite her size, was helpless in trying to free her offspring. The same two Rhinos had been seen the evening game drive before making their way to this particular mud wallow, a favourite spot for both Rhino and Buffalo alike. This had meant that the youngster could have been stuck for a period of up to 12 hours.

Due to the sensitivity and the distress of these two, rightly so, that particular area was called a negative area for game viewing. It was reported to the Sabi Sand Wildtuin and a local Wildlife Veterinarian was contacted to come and assess the condition of the calf. It was not long before they all arrived and work commenced to free the calf.

The first objective was to sedate the mother who could pose a danger to both the team and well as her own calf. A successful dart to the left shoulder soon started to kick in and brought this 2-ton female to the ground before the Vet team, members of the Sabi Sand Wildtuin and Sabi Sabi Rangers could get to work.

The sun and the scorching heat was going to be a tough element to deal with as the temperatures soured to the mid-thirties. The mother’s eyes covered with cloth to protect from them from damage by the sun, and dosed with large amounts of water to keep her temperature down.

With the mother under control and her vitals being continually monitored, it was now the team’s effort to focus on the extraction. The young calf, who by this time had also been sedated, was showing signs of fatigue, large amounts of water was sprayed to loosen the sticky mud enveloping the calf.

The team then went about strapping a harness around and under the calf to carefully pull her out. Sometimes knee deep in the mud, falling over and face planting the mud, the efforts and will to get this calf free was clear for all to see, all concerned for the wellbeing of the calf. Despite her youth, the young Rhino calf weighed a lot and it needed the efforts of a Land Cruiser to pull her out with some careful negotiating by the team steering her in the right direction, all done extremely slowly to ensure no damage was done. She was out and the team got to work to rid her of any excess mud and maintain vitals. I can't say what medically was given to her but there was no doubt that the Veterinarian team knew what they were doing and they went about their work with determination and efficiency.

It was now time to reverse the sedative to bring them both back to consciousness, this brings with it a new set of problems, how will the mother react when she wakes, could she fall on the calf etc. A vehicle was carefully positioned between the mother and calf to try and negate these potential issues, but also trying to provide a little shade while the youngster attempts to get to its feet.

The biggest problem facing the calf would be to stand after lying on a limb for extended periods really effects the circulation and the damage that could be caused by this was a big concern for the team. The mother circled the area snorting, a sign of irritation, smelling the area to work out what had just happened. The calf, calling for her while she still lay there trying to get up. The mother started to move off giving the team a chance to move in to dose her with more water to keep her cool and her temperature down.

It had become clear that the leg she had been lying on was lacking power and needed a little motivation to stand up. Using cloth and towels and temporary slings, a team of about 12-15 individuals did their best to hoist the calf until she eventually straightened both front legs, but this did not last long as she struggled to hold her body weight. It had now become a question of time, all that could be done by the team had been done and done successfully. We cut down some branches from nearby Guarri Bushes to build a shade shelter next to her to keep the direct sunlight off her until the sun sets.

I sit here writing this report at 04h30 (26 December 2017) having just taken over the morning shift from one of the Rangers that have been sitting with this Rhino long through the night at various times, trying to keep a watchful eye so that no predators take advantage of her situation. She is still weak but still alive and attempting to get up under the watchful eye of her mother.

I come to realise the magnitude and scale of the tireless work and effort put in by people around the world to save these amazing creatures – as we do too when an endangered species is affected such as in this case.

It is in the spirit of Christmas, in the spirit of giving, we give of ourselves not to receive. It is in our core values of empathy towards one another as well as the love we share for all things in the natural world. It is so apt that on this day, we celebrate life not just an appreciation for our own but others and those around us and the willingness to help all that require it. Merry Christmas everybody.