Thandi gives birth!

On January 13th,  two Kariega rangers witnessed the birth of Thandi's baby girl at 8:50 a.m. Dr. William Fowlds, the veterinarian who saved Thandi's life, observed mom and baby shortly afterwards and Dr. Fowlds confirms they're doing well. Their area is off-limits to visitors so Thandi and her baby can be undisturbed and give her calf the best chance of survival.

Dr. Fowlds, of Investec Rhino Lifeline, says, “I am sure that the whole rhino caring community will share in the joy of this amazing birth. Thandi’s story has always been an incredible testimony of the will to survive against all odds. She represents so much of what her species faces under the current poaching crisis. Her survival has already given us inspiration but the birth of her calf brings a new dimension of hope to the crisis showing us that a future generation of life is possible if we put our minds and hearts to it.”

Wildlife photographer and filmmaker Adrian Steirn arrived at Kariega Game Reserve and was able to capture photos and video of Thandi and her calf immediately after the birth. He said, "Thandi's story has captivated the world since she became a beacon of hope in the fight against rhino poaching. To see her with a beautiful, healthy calf is truly a privilege and should inspire optimism and renewed commitment to protect these incredible creatures."

CONGRATULATIONS to dear Thandi, Kariega Game Reserve, and Dr. Fowlds on the joyous birth of a healthy calf for Thandi!

Investec Rhino Lifeline

They have a zebra on their credit cards!

We changed banks in South Africa from Standard Bank to Investec. We left Standard Bank because ... they suck. Vince chose Investec because they do not charge withdrawal fees no matter what bank ATM you use and he can do his foreign exchange online as opposed to having to schlep into a private account branch every time he wants to transfer funds to the US. Investec has no branches. It is a completely virtual banking facility.


I supported his decision to go with Investec because they in turn are a huge supporter of rhino conservation in Africa through their Investec Rhino Lifeline. 



From the Investec website: 

"South Africa is losing rhino daily, through poaching. It is the most significant conservation issue faced by the country and time is running out. In 2012 Investec established Investec Rhino Lifeline to respond to this crisis and has partnered with the Wilderness Foundation to achieve our goals. Our aim is to build awareness, raise funds, and support carefully selected education, rescue and prevention initiatives.

By working closely with our trusted partners and supporters, and by taking a hands-on approach, we believe that we can make a difference in saving the rhino and ensuring its long-term survival."

And Investec Rhino Lifeline is the major supporter behind the work of Dr. William Fowlds:

"Dr William Fowlds is a qualified vet who dedicates his time to championing the plight of the rhino through his veterinary and awareness initiatives, while exposing the desperate reality of poaching attacks to the global media. He has been involved in conservation related activities, wildlife management, eco-tourism and intervention programmes to improve the quality of veterinary care for critically injured rhinos for over a decade. Apart from his South African veterinary network relating to wildlife, he has provided educational and training opportunities for students from vet schools representing all five continents to expose them to conservation issues within Southern Africa. Dr Fowlds also spearheaded educational safaris and television series highlighting the rhino crisis on NBC and ITV news, exposing the realities of poaching to the world, generating media awareness of this crisis and educational opportunities in consumer countries. His conservation focus has largely been in the Eastern Cape where he has served on project committees relating to wildlife and social development aspects of eco-tourism. His contact with the wildlife ranching aspects of conservation, the academic fraternity in Eastern Cape universities and management of nationally governed parks and provincially managed reserves gives him an extensive and multi-skilled network in conservation focused fields.

Dr Fowlds recently championed the rhino crisis by documenting a poaching attack on three rhinos at the Kariega game reserve in the Eastern Cape in March 2012. Two died and Dr Fowlds has documented the story of the slow rehabilitation of one of the three rhinos who survived this attack, as a means to raise awareness around anti-poaching and the illegal rhino horn trade."

Vince and I joining forces with Investec and putting our money where our collective mouth is.

My Rhino

Along with a pair of high-powered binoculars which Vince will pick out himself at B&H Photo when he goes to New York next week, we gave him this SA flag "Daddy Rhino" for Father's Day. It is part of the "My Rhino" collection whose purchase supports the fundraising efforts of the Kariega Foundation.

The Kariega Foundation is the anti-poaching fund which was set up after the devastating 2008 poaching incident in Kariega Game Reserve involving three white rhinos including a bull Themba and a young calf named Thandi. Only Thandi survived and only after several operations conducted by Dr. William Fowlds and the impressive staff of Vets Go Wild. I had the opportunity to see Thandi out in the bush in Kariega when I volunteered there last year. In fact it was her story which inspired me to volunteer in the first place.

Each ceramic rhino is made in South Africa and signed by the artist. I bought mine at Mot Mot in Parkhurst but there are a number of retail partners which carry them all over South Africa.

And it looks great on the display shelf in Vince's new apartment in Cape Town. Happy Father's Day!

Thandi

On Friday the 2nd of March 2012 one cow and two bull rhinos were poached at Kariega Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. One bull was fatally wounded and died during the course of the night while the remaining two were severely injured. Dr. William Fowlds, the renowned wildlife veterinarian who leads the Vets Go Wild program at nearby Amankhala Game Reserve tended to the second bull Themba and the young cow named Thandi. He performed emergency reconstructive surgery to repair the gaping wounds where the horns had once been. Unfortunately a few weeks later Themba succumbed to complications from additional wounds to his leg caused by the poaching. Thandi, the young cow, survived and although emotionally as well as physically scarred, she  began to recover over the next few months.

Tragedy struck again almost a year later when Thandi was discovered with her wound reopened. The local media ran with a story that she had been attacked by an aggressive black rhino bull in the reserve, but the local rangers and Dr. Fowlds believe that more likely a deep bone infection had caused Thandi so much pain that she may have inflicted the wound herself. Once again Dr. Fowlds performed an emergency bone graft and skin transplant to repair the wound. After her second surgery, Thandi had been seen from time to time in the reserve and seemed to be healing both outside and in.

Thandi's story really struck a chord with me. I found her miraculous recovery inspirational and she began to represent the fight against rhino poaching in Africa for me. If she could survive, I began to believe the rhinoceros itself would survive this scourge. And she is most definitely the reason I chose to go to Kariega to do my volunteer work.

When I arrived in Kariega I only had one real goal for the time I would spend there. I wanted to see Thandi. I knew that this might not be possible because she is naturally very skittish around people, automobiles, and rescue helicopters. But I had hope anyway.

Monday is traditionally transition time for volunteers at Kariega. Volunteers come in and volunteers go out on Monday. When I arrived on the first Monday morning of my two week commitment, I was picked up at the Kariega Main Lodge by the Volunteer Coordinator Azel Crous. On the drive over to the volunteer lodging to drop off my suitcases, we talked casually about the program, what exactly we were going to be doing over the next couple of weeks, what was expected of me and what my expectations were. I told Azel my main interest in coming to Kariega was to do rhino monitoring and I confided in her my hope to see Thandi while I was here. She said we would try, but there was no guarantee. No one had seen Thandi for a couple of weeks and that she seemed to be keeping a low profile lately.

No sooner had the words come out of her mouth when she saw in the distance beyond a group of grazing zebra and wildebeest what appeared to be a white rhino grazing as well. On further inspection, she exclaimed that it was Thandi herself! I had not even unpacked my cameras yet! I quickly scrambled into my carry-on bag and fumbled together my camera and zoom lens to try to get some telephoto pictures of Thandi in the distance. What happened next was truly amazing. Thandi slowly walked straight towards us and came within several feet of the land cruiser and looked right at me. It was almost as if she knew I had come especially to see her and that she wanted to show me that she was alright. I was absolutely awestruck.

I never saw her again during the next two weeks but I didn't need to. I will never forget the generosity of this noble animal who came out to welcome me on my first morning in Kariega.