Balu is the youngest rhino calf to have been brought into our care at HESC.
At just two weeks old, he was tiny, weighing just 54Kg’s. This orphaned rhino was found wandering on his own, highly distressed and hungry. We have never established what happened to his mother, but can only assume the worst, that she had fallen victim to poachers.
 
 

Fortunately Balu was unharmed, and he took to his feedings relatively quickly.  Just a few days prior his arrival, we had taken in another orphaned rhino, named Stompie, who sadly was not as lucky. He had survived an attack by a wild animal, which we assume would have been a hyena, who had eaten and chewed around his rectum area.

However, there was some good fortune in the timing of their arrivals, as they found comfort in one another, and near on three years later, they still never leave one another’s side.
As their friendship grew, so too did their little rhino bodies. Balu weighed 158Kilogram’s by April 2016, just five months after he had arrived, even with being such an active young rhino, dashing around everywhere, bringing smiles to everyone’s faces whilst doing it.
Stompie, in comparison, took things a bit more in his stride, never in too much of a hurry to go anywhere.

The decision was made in May 2016 to move Balu and Stompie in with Gertjie and Matimba, which proved to be a great success.  The older rhino’s showed them guidance along the way, which was very endearing to see.
One year later,  by April 2017, Balu had officially been weaned.

Yet another solid rhino friendship had formed over time  at HESC, as Balu and Stompie still continue to stick side by side, at all times. A similar trend seen with Gertjie and Matimba,  Phiippa and Ike, as well as Dingle Dell and Lion’s Den. 
We hope to see it continue to grow from strength to strength.

Thank you to everyone that has donated their time and money in supporting our Rescued Rhino’s at HESC. But we still need your help! The ongoing costs to keep the rhino’s safe and well cared for are very high, and we rely on public financial assistance to keep going from month to month.
If you would like to contribute towards Balu, there are affordable foster option available. Click HERE for more info.