Philippa the Poaching Survivor Welcomes Her Second Baby!

Phillipa's new baby. Photo Credit: Kyle McGarvie

Philippa the Rhino is now a proud mom of two! A poaching survivor, Phillipa’s family is a striking reminder that when you save one rhino, you’re actually saving a lot more than just one life!

Hoedspruit, South Africa (29 October 2024) — It’s no small deal when any rhino brings a small calf into the world. But for a rhino like Philippa—who is a poaching survivor—the news of a new little one on the scene was even more significant for those who helped the proud mom’s rescue and rehabilitation many years before.

Philippa is now an official mom to two. Her youngest, a little calf who is said to have been following mom all over the show this month, marks something of a full circle moment for this rhino family—a family that might not have continued at all if the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC) hadn’t stepped in!

Back in 2016, Philippa’s mother was killed while she was pregnant. A little Philippa could do nothing; she had also been attacked by poachers to the point that her whole sinus cavity was left open.

Her arrival at HESC called for a lot of attention. The team recalled how heartbroken they were to see her physical state. But, there was not just a victim in their midst. There was a brave fighter. As such, Philippa’s name was given to her in honour of two other brave women—Jabulani owner Adine Roodt’s grandmother Phillippina and Phillipa Kort, who was a representative for Jabulani in the USA.

Jabulani is the same herd that elephants who graduate from HERD (Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development) AKA, the Elephant Orphanage, go to when they are released back into the protected wild. But there is also room for rhinos on Team Jabulani!

Philippa underwent a lot of treatment—much of which she put up a good game of hide and seek to avoid. By the time her wound had healed, it was time for another mending—that of her heart.

Philippa and rescued rhino Ike hit it off instantly after they were introduced to the same living space. Both were survivors, and both needed each other.

All these years later and they have their own family to be proud of! Better still, all of us have proof that when you save one rhino, you save a lot more than just one life.