Hope for a Rhino

Written by Nathan Kinner | Klaserie Camps Nzumba & The Last Word Kitara

During a time of unease worldwide one can always hope that good shall prevail.

Even with the entire country in lockdown, life waits for no creature, the world continues to turn and on this particular day in the African Bushveld, that is exactly what happened.

It was a cold winters morning in the heart of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. Winds were howling, making the day’s events slightly more challenging for everyone involved. We were a small group of individuals searching for a somewhat prehistoric animal in order to try and make a difference.

We arrived at the pre-organised meeting point and huddled together as a group. Even though it was an incredibly early start that morning, we were all bright eyed and bushy tailed, excitement murmuring through the group.

Today was the day that we were going to dehorn a rhino!

Fred and Manuela Crabbia, owners of Klaserie Camps Nzumba, sponsored this event to share this eye-opening experience with their grandchildren most of all, in order to pay-it-forward and pass on the importance of conservation.

Many of the group had never had the privilege to come into touching distance with such a large magnificent animal, and for the youngsters that were with us, one being as little as six years old, I can only imagine the wonder and awe that this child experienced being in such close proximity to this animal.

Before the start of the morning events, Dr Peter Rogers, the vet running the operation, gave us a briefing on exactly what to expect throughout the entire process. We sat in the windy, chilly conditions for what felt like ages as we waited for Jana from Hope for Wildlife to locate the rhino in her helicopter. Once they did, it felt like we went from zero to a hundred within seconds.

For more info visit website: https://www.thelastword.co.za/the-last-word-kitara