Bottle feeding a baby rhino

I got to bottle feed a baby rhino!! Something I imagine that not many people can say they have done. Six month old Nicky is a blind black rhino who was found at two months old with his mother. Although she was no doubt doing her best to care for him, his blindness was making it hard for him to cope in the wild and he had already been attacked by hyenas. One of his ears is rather torn as a result of that attack. As black rhinos are so endangered and his chances of survival were slim if left with his mother, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy decided to bring him in and hand rear him. He lives at the headquarters and has 24 hour care. One of his two keepers is always with him, even sleeping alongside him at night. If his blanket falls off, he jumps on his keeper to get him to tuck him back in again – how sweet!! After a shaky start, Nicky is doing really well and it is looking very hopeful that his eyes can be operated on and his sight restored. Ultimately, he will be able to be released back into the wild which would be wonderful. With rhino poaching escalating at an alarming rate, every single rhino is so vital to ensure these incredible animals don’t become extinct.

Would love to upload a photo of the gorgeous Nicky at this point but the internet is too slow. That said, he is something of an internet sensation. If you google "blind baby rhino", lots of pictures and news articles will come up on him! He has been successfully fundraising for his sight restoring operation by using the fact that Prince William spent his gap year at Lewa.