Every new rhino born into the world is an incredible thing and worth celebrating. Furthermore, we love sharing hero stories of animals who have fought to survive even the worst circumstances.

Being a nature reserve, conserving and protecting our wildlife and endangered species is a key focus for Kapama. Ensuring animals on the endangered list will still be around for generations to come, is what matters most from a conservation perspective.

This past week at Kapama we celebrated the birth of a new rhino calf. Seeing this little rhino enjoy playtime at the dam with its mom has been a wonderful experience for guests and guides alike.

But this mom’s journey has not been easy.

In 2013, this very same female rhino fell victim to poaching and was left for dead without her horns. Our local vet, Dr Rogers, did everything he could to give her a fighting chance.

This rhino had such a will to live, that not only did she survive the terrible ordeal, but after excessive rehabilitation, attention and dedication from the vet’s team, her wounds healed very well and her horns even grew back. She was released back onto Kapama after a full recovery.

Fast forward to today and she is thriving, with her brand-new calf, only a few days old.

This is not the first miracle story Kapama has shared. In December 2021 we posted the story of Phillipa, who was subjected to a vicious poaching attack in 2016. Yet, against all odds, she managed to survive and 5 years later gave birth to a beautiful calf, pictured below.

To read the full story of Phillip and her grueling experience, as well as the heroic acts of vet Dr Rogers and the guiding team at Kapama, read the full story here: A FIGHTING CHANCE