A young white rhino named Tyson celebrated his second birthday—an occasion that, if not for the kindness of a wildlife vet and his wife, who raised the rhino after he was found in the veld, as well as The Rhino Orphanage, who took him in, would hardly have been possible:
South Africa (07 April 2025) — A white rhino named Tyson recently celebrated his second birthday and Rescue-versary at The Rhino Orphanage—the world’s first dedicated orphanage of its kind.
Like many of the rhinos at the orphanage, Tyson’s odds of survival were very slim. It’s because of this that birthdays at The Rhino Orphanage are especially significant; they show us that with the right intervention, the odds are there to be challenged.
Tyson came to The Rhino Orphanage just before he was a year old. It was by the kindness of a wildlife veterinarian and the vet’s wife that Tyson survived as long as he did. The rhino’s mother couldn’t produce milk, and Tyson was found in the veld without any way of getting the nutrients he so desperately needed.
When the humans who saved him realised that Tyson would eventually need to learn how to be a rhino (something neither the vet nor his wife could teach him), the process began for Tyson to come to The Rhino Orphanage.
At the orphanage, Tyson would interact with other rhinos like him and have a dedicated team of humans essentially at his beck and call to ensure he grew, got stronger, and eventually be released into the wild.
Tyson’s journey over the past year at TRO has been filled with new companions, many milk bottles, and moments of immense growth on his journey to becoming a bull.
The Rhino Orphanage share that he’s had a few mentors along the way, particularly the blind Thula and Kolisi, who survived a hyena attack.
He enjoyed his last milk bottle in January, and is now in the pre-release camp with his rhino gang consisting of Thula, Kolisi, Ozzy, Houdini and Balega.
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