The Rhino Orphanage called on South Africans to help them cope with the loss of their international volunteers; they hope that people will step in to assist.
Undisclosed Location, South Africa (20 March 2020) – The Rhino Orphanage sent out a call for assistance in the form of volunteers. 248 South Africans stepped forward to help them in their time of need!
The Rhino Orphanage was significantly affected by the ruling that foreign tourists were no longer able to enter the country. That coupled with the spread of the coronavirus in South Africa, the orphanage lost their flow of volunteers. Usually, these volunteers come from across the globe, but with the ban on travel, the orphanage had to reach out locally.
The organisation was looking for volunteers who could handle heavy manual labour (because Rhinos, even little ones, are a lot of work) as well as be able to live on-site for a minimum period of 3-weeks. The orphanage wanted to impress that this isn’t a task for the faint of heart, that the stories and situations would be heartbreaking, that the work never stops but it would be one of the most rewarding experiences in life.
These volunteers breathe life back into the broken calves that arrive at the orphanage. Often, the young ones are deeply traumatised, sometimes physically hurt but mostly struggle to trust their saviours. The volunteers play a vital role in rehabilitating the calves and getting them back to the wild.
Thankfully the team received a great response to their call for help.
“With 248 applications it is almost an impossible task to decide on volunteers. So many wonderful and intriguing people have applied. We thank ALL of you for your wonderful support. We have selected the first few volunteers and because we live in uncertain times we will select another couple of volunteers in 8 weeks or so. All applications will remain in our database.”
They are now able to fill the gaps left by the virus and get back to focusing on what is most important, healthy rhino orphans!
If ever you need a reason to smile, check out the progress each orphan is making via the orphanages Facebook page here.
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