The mud bath that our four young orphans – Gertjie, Matimba, Stompie and Balu – share was getting a little ‘tight’, and rapidly become too small for their formidable frames. So our Wildlife Conservation Experience (WCE) participants came to the rescue and spent a long, hot afternoon improving their favourite space. This involved extending the sides of the pit, and in-so-doing providing a lot more space to accommodate all four boys comfortably.

A mud bath is a very important part of rhino’s daily activity. The mud acts as an insect repellent, and also protects their sensitive skin from the sun. Most importantly, it’s great fun and also keeps them cool throughout the day.

Our young foursome is overjoyed with the new area, and love nothing better than languishing in the mud while blowing bubbles out of their nostrils.

It stands to reason that watching them is one of our favourite times of the day too!