Our Campaign Save an Orphaned Rhino

The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy’s efforts to protect rhinos in the wild are critical to the survival of the species. Lewa now holds 12% of the confirmed black rhino population in Kenya. The constant population increase we are witnessing on Lewa is a direct result of our security efforts. There has not been one poaching incident on the Conservancy to date.

Some of our rhinos often need special care. On Lewa, one of our female, named Mawingo, was blinded in a fight. Mawingo gives birth approximately every 18 months, and every time she gives birth, she has to leave her calf behind, as she is unable to take care of it.

The dedicated staff on the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy hand-rears these rhinos for a total of four years. Mawingo has had seven calves other the years, and the latest one was born in September 2008.

It costs Lewa approximately $10,000 a year to take care of these orphaned rhinos. They have 2 care keepers living with them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They particularly have to be watched at night, as predators can attack them. They are bottle fed milk almost hourly throughout the day. We want to continue hand-rearing these rhinos, but we need help to cover the cost.