Poaching is still rampant in South Africa, and it’s getting worse. This is already the worst on record for rhinos lost, with at least 736 killed in the region.
Cruelly killing these endangered animals is a reprehensible act. It is even more somber when you realize the amount of animals orphaned by the poaching. Protrack Anti-Poaching Unit has worked to protect rhinos since their founding in 1992. They recently shared this heartbreaking story.
While driving, Liam Burrough noticed this young calf wandering near the road.
He pulled over and found her severely dehydrated, wounded and in desperate need of shade.
While waiting for park rangers to arrive, he gave the calf water to drink and poured some over her baked skin.
They sent her to the Care For Wild Africa’s wildlife rehabilitation center, joined by others orphans just like her.
(via The Dodo.)
Burrough noted that, despite the rough condition they found her in, the calf trusted her rescuers. He also wrote, “The tragic irony in all of this being that the calf had approached the very creatures who are responsible for her being orphaned in search of comfort.”
