Sibeva was found as an orphan and rescued in 2016, taken to the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary; today she is the mother of a tiny rhino calf.
Undisclosed Location, South Africa (06 June 2023) – Sibeva, a former rescued rhino orphan, became a mother for the first time to a young calf; dedicated Rhino Monitor was able to capture the moment on camera to share with the Cars for Wild team.
Sibeva has been with the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary since 2016. She arrived deeply traumatised but has grown in leaps and bounds since then. Today, she is the proud mother of a White Rhino calf, adding to the growing number of rescued rhino orphans that are now breeding and growing the population.
“Petronel and the Care for Wild team are deeply humbled and overjoyed to announce the birth of a new white rhino calf. The new arrival made his way into the world at 14:50 yesterday making Sibeva a Mom for the first time.
Sibeva gave birth under the protection and support of her Rhino Monitor. She did so well and we are so proud of her. In an instant she transformed before our eyes from the fragile and traumatised orphan rescued in 2016 to a strong and compassionate mother. Such a blessing.”
You can see the moment the calf is born, below.
Petronel Nieuwoudt founded care For Wild Rhino Sanctuary in 2011, and just a few months later, she opened her home to the very first rhino orphan. A few years later, the Rhino Poaching crisis was at its height, and the Kruger National Park needed somewhere safe to send the orphans found in the park.
The rhino species is estimated to be less than ten years away from extinction, and South Africa is at the centre of the rhino poaching war. The Kruger National Park has seen a decline in white rhino populations of 75% since 2011. In 2014 SANParks joined forces with Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary and created a Memorandum of Understanding to safeguard this heritage and the species’ future by rescuing and protecting the orphans left behind.
All the orphans receive extensive care and rehabilitation before entering the rewilding and release programme. All rhinos who are released back into a natural ecosystem continue to be protected 24/7 by guards, as well as an elite K9 and Mounted Unit.
The organisation is currently raising funds for the horse mounted unit, to purchase new saddles for each of the riders. You can find out more here.
by 