Lazuli the orphan was found standing next to his poached mother at the Mala Mala private game reserve, rescued and driven to a rhino orphanage
Anonymous location – On Valentine’s evening the anti-poaching unit at the Mala Mala private game reserve came across a poached rhino carcass. The rhino had a calf but the calf was nowhere in sight. It was 11 pm and the team started searching on foot for the calf.
They roamed through the darkness and sadly came across two other carcasses. The weather was taking a turn and so a helicopter was brought in to search for the calf from above. He was found a short while later, back at his mother’s carcass. In the pitch black darkness, the team walked over to where the calf was spotted.
They started the rescue mission as the skies opened up. They were keeping a pride of lions and a pack of hyena at bay all while fighting to see through the rain and darkness. They finally got the calf seen to by the emergency vet that had come through. A rhino trailer had been donated to help get the rhino out safely but in the darkness, its tyres shredded on the rough terrain.
Plan B was to get one of their service bakkies out to the site, load the calf into it and drive him a couple of hours to the sanctuary. Through all the chaos of trying to find the calf, some of the hyenae managed to taunt him. They nipped at his tail and ears leaving painful wounds which needed treatment.
Once the calf was loaded into the back of the bakkie, he was driven out to an area where a rhino sanctuary is located. By this time it was, 3 am on the 15th of February.
The calf was immediately welcomed and given the name Lazuli, meaning: royalty and honour, gods and power, spirit and vision. His wounds were treated by the doctors on site and he was given a soft spot to sleep. They left his blindfold on as to avoid stressing him further.
His blindfold was removed a day later and the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary shared a video of him eating his food, although he was very messy.
Lazuli has been paired up with another orphan, her name is Ribbon. They can be seen napping together in the title image above.
“We urge our followers to please help us with donations and funds for this brave baby boy. Please Contact is if you are willing to assist us with vet bills as his wounds will require veterinary attention. Or, Visit our Online Rhino Grocery Market (link here) and purchase some milk or hay for him. Thank you for your love and support. We will keep you updated on his progress.”
You can stay updated on Lazuli’s progress via the sanctuary’s Facebook page here.