A rhino at the rehabilitation facility where Jess volunteers

A Day in the Life

A Day at a Rhino Rehabilitation Facility

Spend a day in the life with me as a volunteer at a rhino rehabilitation facility, where patience, consistency and compassion are of virtue to ensure these animals have the best chance of being released.

Step into the day

All field days

A day for the wild with

Jess

A Day at a Rhino Rehabilitation Facility

Wildlife rehabilitation volunteerRhino rehabilitation facility

See Jess’s work on Untold Stories

01/11

Introduction

A day in rhino rehabilitation

Step 1

Sunrise

Wake up and watch the sunrise before the work day starts at 7:15.

Step 2

Shaking out hay

Shake out lots of hay for our camp animals in their last phases of rehabilitation. We do this to check for mould and any harmful weeds that can be consumed by the rhinos as they are very prone to colic which can have fatal consequences. By shaking out and providing the hay, we can ensure that the chance of colic is reduced and that they are eating a diet of substance, instead of potentially eating sand or winter grass that lack nutrients.

Step 3

Onto the reserve

Now we drive onto the reserve to monitor the released animals and give them their breakfast. We do this to ensure they are safe and healthy, with any abnormalities being reported and appropriate action taken.

Step 4

Feeding and monitoring

We do this twice a day. By giving them hay and pellets, it encourages natural grazing behaviour and also provides necessary vitamins and proteins that may be missing from the winter grass.

Step 5

Preparing rhino milk

Back at the camp it's time to make milk for our orphan rhino. This includes rhino formula, pellet dust and proteins mixed with water, which is measured proportionately to her weight. We do this numerous times a day so that she also gets her protein and nutrient intake.

Step 6

Feeding our orphan rhino

Happy girlie :)

Step 7

Tortoise check-ups

It is also check up day for the leopard tortoises! This includes measuring the widths, lengths, heights and weight of each tortoise to ensure they are healthy.

Step 8

Preparing tortoise meals

Followed by dinner prep! This consists of lots of greens, like prickly pear and lettuce, that are evenly distributed between each tortoise. When feeding time commences, we monitor who is eating and their behaviour.