A new baby rhino’s first days were tough. Little Lila lost her mom. The team around her worried. Luckily, she’s in the care of those who know exactly how to care for an orphan.
KwaZulu-natal South Africa (16 May 2025) — Life began bitter-sweetly for a little rhino named Lila. The Zululand Rhino Orphanage’s youngest rhino, Lila, lost her mother shortly after she was born.
As the Zululand Conservation Trust explain, Lila’s mother had left the boma to give birth to her baby in the wild. However, when both mom and baby were brought back to the bomas, the mother rhino unexpectedly passed away from natural causes in what was a heartbreaking moment for all present.
Losing one’s mother as a baby rhino is a huge ordeal. The little ones cannot fend for themselves and become susceptible to both poachers and becoming prey. When sightings of orphans arise, a whole rescue mission has to be accounted for to get the baby to wildlife orphanages.
Despite the tragedy, Lila’s life also begins with a stroke of luck, considering she finds herself in the immediate care of people who know exactly how to care for orphaned wildlife.
The Zululand Rhino Orphanage is an effort by the Zululand Conservation Trust and Environmental Conservation Organisation Helping Rhinos that operates as the only dedicated regional rhino orphanage in KwaZulu-Natal.
The team there provide round-the-clock care to both rhino and hippo orphans in an effort to secure the future of the next generation of these gentle giants in the wild.
Little Lila has been checked by the vets, weighs a good 139kgs and recently she even had her earplugs taken off (put in place to help her settle in faster).
While the journey ahead won’t be easy without her mother, she has a new family in her midst supporting her every step.
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You can support her from afar, here. Stay up to date with the teams work and Lila here.
Sources: Zululand Conservation Trust
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