Thandi the Rhino

THANKS TO: Lindy Sutherland, Jason Loest, Daniel Haesslich, Jone Haesslich, Dr Will Fowlds, Melissa Louw and everyone else at Kariega Game Reserve. This book is dedicated to them and to anti-poaching units around the country helping to protect rhinos.

All rights reserved. Copyright © 2022 This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Printed in the United Kingdom First Printing 2022 ISBN: 978-1-7396319-0-1


Foreword This exceptional, true story of Love and Hope has transformed the lives of many people, myself included. It’s a story of extreme tragedy, brutality and senseless suffering which swings pendulously across to complete joy, elation and admiration for all those who are touched by Thandi’s story. When we thought that hope was dead, she showed us what was possible, against the odds and all predictions. Now, Hope lives on despite the calamity we see all around us. Their legacy survives to inspire but, it’s also a warning to us all that we live in a precious and fragile world. If we don’t turn inspiration into action, the pendulum can easily swing back the other way. May Thandi and her family continue to energise us to be better: for them and for ourselves. Dr Will Fowlds



Thandi the Rhino a story of love and hope By Imelda Bell Illustrated by Margaret Knight

This is a story about love. Not just the love of family and friends, or the love of a community, but also a story about a rhino called love. Thandi is a very special rhino, and her name means “love”. Love often goes hand in hand with hope, so it is also a story about a rhino called Themba, which is isiXhosa for “hope”. Thandi is a white rhino, one of the two species of rhino found in Africa. She lives on the Kariega Game Reserve in South Africa. Her story did not have a happy beginning, but it does have a happy ending, as you will see.



Thandi lived in the peace and quiet of a beautiful game reserve with her rhino friends. They spent their days munching grass and sharing the waterholes with zebra, impala, giraffe and lots of other animals. They loved nothing more than a wallow in the mud to cool themselves down. Rolling in the mud was such fun and the rhinos would cover themselves from head to foot. The mud helped protect them from the sun and the insects, which annoyed them from time to time. The rhinos were a happy crash (that’s the name for a group of rhinos) and life was good.



Thandi’s story started one dreadful night when poachers broke into Kariega Game Reserve where she lived. They crept in during the dead of night, looking for rhinos. But what did they want with rhinos? Rhinos have horns, which some people believe make good medicines and pretty ornaments. Poachers hurt and often kill the rhinos, slashing at their faces to cut out their horns. The horns are then sold to people far away to make ornaments or medicine, which they think will cure them of many things. In fact rhinos horns are just made of the same stuff as fingernails or hair, and the only place they look good is on a rhino!



That night the poachers found three rhinos. They darted them with drugs to make them sleep, hacked off their horns and disappeared into the night, before anyone even knew they were there. The next morning, only two of the three rhinos were still alive. One rhino bull died during the night, but just after the sun rose in the sky, a ranger found another rhino very badly injured, but still alive. He became known as Themba, which you now know, means “hope\", and everyone hoped he would survive, despite the horrific injuries left by the poacher’s pangas and knives.



The second rhino they found alive was a girl, she lay in front of some bushes in grass, stained with her own blood. She was very weak from losing so much blood, but fighting for her life. This rhino was Thandi, the one they named love, and soon the whole world would hear about her and grow to love her. Both rhinos needed urgent help, so quickly the vet was called. Dr Will Fowlds rushed to the game reserve not knowing what to expect. He was shocked and horrified by what he found. Themba was very badly injured, but his spirit was strong and he struggled to his feet, after Dr Will gave him some medicine to reverse the drugs the poachers had given him. Not only was Themba’s face sore and bleeding, where his horn had been cut out, but he limped from lying too long on one side. One of his back legs was badly hurt and every few steps he lay back down again as the struggle to support his enormous body was too much. Dr Will had to act quickly, as he knew that a second rhino was down nearby.



Dr Will did what he could to help Themba and left him lying among the grasses, in the cooling shade from a nearby tree. He then rushed to Thandi’s side. She was scared and in pain and there seemed to be little chance that she would live, but Dr Will was determined to help. He gave her medicine to wake her up and to help her wounds and just when he thought she would lose her fight for life, a miracle happened. Thandi twitched her ears and raised her tail, and breathed a little easier. She was very weak, but she stumbled to her feet and wandered down the hill. Everyone was relieved, but as she turned back to face them, they could now see the nasty, red hole in her face where her horns had once been. She was up, she was alive, but there was a long way to go!



Dr Will spoke to vets all around the country to see what had been done before to treat poaching survivors, but there was no simple answer. Every case was different and there was no set way to help the suffering rhinos. Dr Will was determined to try everything he could to soothe the pain and help these rhinos to live. He visited almost every day to treat both rhino’s wounds, and a team, led by Jason and Lance, watched over Thandi and Themba throughout the night, as well as the day, to check that they were doing okay. Both rhinos had to have their wounds cleaned and treated over and over again and everyone watched and waited and hoped. The news of the brave survivors spread around the world and the love started pouring in from all corners of the earth. Themba and Thandi were making people sit up and listen to the poaching problems that rhinos face. Everyone was shocked and horrified that these amazing creatures had been left disfigured and in so much pain. It was a very tough time for everyone, but the love coming in from people far and near helped and gave strength to those working with the rhinos every day. Days passed and Thandi was starting to look much better. She had found another rhino cow and her calf on the reserve, and was enjoying their company. Although her face was still a nasty wound, she seemed settled and calm and acted pretty much like a rhino should, eating grass and hanging around with her rhino friends.



Themba was more worrying; he was very weak and not eating much and was getting thinner by the day. He would often be seen lying in the cool, soothing mud, which gave him a little relief from his pain. Then one morning, twenty-four days after the poaching, Jason found Themba lying at the edge of a waterhole. He was so weak that he no longer had the strength to hold his head up. Jason rushed into the mud to try and keep Themba’s head above the water, but a rhino’s head is very heavy and Themba had lost his fighting spirit. Slowly hope died, as Themba took his last breath in Jason’s arms. Themba was the most courageous rhino, he had fought with everything he had, but eventually it became too much for him. He was a brave, brave warrior, but he had been down, with his body weight on his leg for far too long after the poachers darted him. His leg was left so badly damaged that he would never have recovered from this injury. And so Themba died and with a few people watching on, he was buried where he lay, in a beautiful little hollow alongside the waterhole, surround by lush green grass in this tiny corner of paradise. He was only 4 years old, still just a boy rhino, but a boy rhino with the courage of a warrior. It was a very sad day and everyone was heartbroken, but Thandi was still alive and they had to make sure she survived. They could not lose her as well! She had a long way to go and there was a lot of work to be done. What had been learned from Themba would now be used to save Thandi and so Themba would live on through her. His death would not be for nothing, hope would not die, as long as there was a chance that Thandi would survive.



As the weeks passed, Thandi got stronger and then the work started to rebuild her face. She still had an enormous, gaping hole instead of horns, and this needed to be fixed. It was a very difficult task, as rhinos like to scratch and they use their noses for investigating all sorts of things. Thandi would scratch her face on bushes and trees to try and relieve an itch, but every time she did this, the wound would open up again! Being a rhino, she got dirty and muddy and everything ended up on her face and in her wound. If she was a person, a bandage would have done the trick, but a bandage is not much good on a rhino! Medical tar had to be used to try and keep out the dirt and the flies. Lots of people were trying to help from all over the world. Some were raising money to pay for the expensive medicines that Thandi needed, others were helping with suggestions on how to help Thandi’s face heal and some were just spreading the news about what had happened, which is a very important thing to do in this fight against poaching. People doctors also tried to help with new ways of fixing her skin and getting it to heal. They tried something called a skin graft, which put new skin over the hole, in the hope that it would cover and heal it. This was the first time it had been tried on a rhino. Thandi was strong and ever so brave, the poachers stole so much from her that night, but she wanted to live! With operation after operation, she showed her strength and kept fighting. Meanwhile the love coming in from people all over the world, helped the team working with her and kept them going when they felt sad or angry at Thandi’s suffering.



Love is a very powerful thing and it can even lead to miracles! Surrounded by love and with so many people using their skills, slowly Thandi’s face healed and the hole filled in. Her horn will never grow back, but she is alive and guess what? Her story gets even better! Nearly 3 years after the poaching, Thandi become a mom. She had a baby girl who was named Thembi, to remember Themba, and the hope he gave to everyone. And so hope lived on, even after Themba had died. Love and hope helped to heal Thandi. Now she stood there proudly, as the warm African sun kissed her skin, with Thembi next to her, and the love grew even bigger. One day, a few years later, Thandi disappeared, leaving Thembi on her own, and nobody knew where she had gone. A drone was sent up to try and find her, and imagine the surprise when she appeared in the bushes with another brand new baby by her side. He was born on the day that the Rushmere family came together to celebrate the life of Colin Rushmere, who had founded Kariega Game Reserve, and so the new baby, who was a boy, was named Colin in his memory. Colin means “victory of the people” so the calf’s name symbolises, not just the achievements of everyone who helped to save Thandi, but the victory of everyone Colin brought together through his wonderful work in conservation. A new baby was just what was needed to bring a little joy at this sad time.



You might be wondering what happened to the poachers who killed the bull and Themba, and left Thandi so scarred? Well they were part of a gang, which had killed many rhinos and it is believed that they were responsible for the attack on Thandi and her friends. They were finally caught and on the day that they stood in court and were sent to jail for 25 years for their crimes, Thandi had her third calf. It was another boy, and he was named Mthetho, which means justice in isiXhosa. Justice had been done, the poachers were in jail, Thandi was a survivor and another baby was a wonderful way to celebrate. Thembi has also become a mom, so Thandi is a grandmother too. This grandchild was named Umkhosi, which means army in isiXhosa. The name celebrates the army of people whose love of the rhinos brought them together to fight. This conservation army fought for the life of an injured rhino and many people still fight every day to protect rhinos around the world. Now that you know her story, you will be part of that army too, as you tell people about Thandi. Let everyone know that rhino horn is not medicine and that people need to stop using it, so that rhinos don’t have to die or suffer like Thandi and Themba. A lot is now done to prevent rhinos around the world from being poached, from armed patrols to anti-poaching dogs. Rhinos are even being dehorned, so their horns are cut off in a painless way, a bit like having your fingernails trimmed, so they have nothing the poachers want. It’s very sad to see them like this, but much better than seeing them hurt.



Thandi’s story does not end there; she had another surprise for the people who love her. She gave birth to her fourth calf and the Kariega field guides, named him Siya, after South Africa’s Springbok rugby captain Siya Kolisi. Siya is short for the name Siyamthanda, which means to ‘We love him or her.’ So by saving Thandi, it was not just one rhino that was saved, but so many more! So far, saving Thandi has meant that 5 rhino are here today that would never have been born if Thandi hadn’t survived. Her children Thembi, Colin, Mthetho and Siya, as well as her grandchild, Umkhosi, are her legacy and her ever-growing family is testimony to the fact that saving just one precious life is worth so much more than that. Thandi and her family have inspired people all around the world and the kindness shown to her and everyone around her has helped to raise awareness and spread the love of a species. And so we come back to love. In the end, Thandi’s story is all about love, it is woven throughout her story. Love is very powerful and even long after everything else has gone, love and hope will always remain.






About Kariega Game Reserve and the Kariega Foundation Kariega Game Reserve is a family owned and operated Big 5 (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard) private game reserve located in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Born from the vision of one man, Colin Rushmere, Kariega Game Reserve has grown over 33 years from 21 different farms to the 11,500-hectare wilderness it is today. It is one of the most inspiring and successful re-wilding stories to emerge from the Eastern Cape. This malaria-free, game reserve incorporates diverse and dramatic landscapes teeming with wild animals, as well as two abundant rivers, the Kariega and the Bushman’s rivers, and offers guests luxurious accommodation in one of five safari lodges to suit all needs. A conservation levy paid by guests visiting Kariega Game Reserve, helps the Kariega Foundation (a non-profit trust) fund numerous and diverse projects with commitment to conservation, responsible tourism, social upliftment and sustainable use of resources. It is the belief in our human capacity for kindness and service combined with the inspiration we glean from the beauty and cycles of the natural world that drives the Kariega Foundation forward in pursuit of achieving the objectives of each of our projects. We stand resolute in our commitment to leave a legacy of rejuvenation for the people, the land and the wildlife. The Kariega family are the proud and dedicated custodians of Thandi and her story. As one of the only poaching survivors in the world, Thandi has inspired us with the birth of her four calves to date. She serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for the plight of her species. http://www.kariega.co.za/