Orphanage Needs Help to Feed Hungry Little Rhino Bellies

Photo Credit: The Rhino Orphanage

The Rhino Orphanage urgently needs help to replenish food stocks for hungry little bellies before the developing El Niño weather event leaves its rhinos without natural grazing.

Limpopo, South Africa (10 September 2026) – This rhino month, South Africa’s first rhino orphanage dedicated to rescuing, raising, rehabilitating, and releasing orphaned and injured baby rhinos back into the wild needs a helping hand.

Recently, the South African Weather Service warned that the developing El Niño weather event could become the strongest in living memory. With it comes the likelihood of below-normal rainfall and high temperatures across the country.

The weather event will cause ripple effects across South Africa. It also poses serious challenges for wildlife as resource availability will be altered, too.

The Rhino Orphanage (TRO) explains how the changing weather will directly impact the rhinos in its care.

“A strong El Nino weather event has been confirmed and for South Africa, this means drought. For the rhinos this means no natural grazing, and extreme climate stress.” it shares.

The organisation will need to stock up on teff – a type of hay that is nutritionally balanced and used to feed rhinos when there is no opportunity for natural grazing.

“We still URGENTLY need to secure 5000 bales of teff before the drought hits and the supply chain dries up. We are still a LONG way off our target.”

TRO has been rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned rhinos in Limpopo since 2012, giving calves that have often lost their mothers to poaching a chance to survive and return to the wild. Its work plays an important role in rhino conservation. Some rehabilitated rhinos go on to have calves of their own. Supporting the orphanage helps keep that cycle of recovery going.

If you’d like to donate and help replenish food stocks, follow this link for banking details! Adorable baby rhinos like Tshepi directly benefit from your support.