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Doctor's good ideas save rhinos - 9th September 2022
80 percent of the world's rhinos live in South Africa. It's a dangerous place. In 2021, people killed 450 rhinos there.
People kill rhinos to get their horns. The horn's the white thing on the animal's nose. In Asia, it's important for traditional medicine. One horn costs thousands of dollars.
Without their mothers, it's unsafe for the baby rhinos. They need people to look after them 24 hours a day.
Dr Pierre Bester works at the rhino centre.
Dr Pierre Bester: "Firstly, mostly, their mothers have been poached. So they, from two weeks, three weeks, a month, six months – but all come here and you handle them differently. And you get them and you put them in crèches, put them in, in – give them a friend and then they cope."
The babies are very unhappy. Their 'nurses' often sleep near them. It helps to make them feel comfortable.
Dr Bester does anything he can to help. He sometimes gives the babies a friend, like a sheep. This works for the rhinos. Dr Bester likes to find answers to problems.
Yolande van der Merwe: "Working with Dr. Pierre is – it's amazing! We are so incredibly privileged to have a vet that's not a textbook vet, that thinks outside the box, that is willing to do things alternatively. He's very clever! He always finds a solution. He always makes a plan."
Dr Bester has lots of good ideas. These help the animals stay well.
Now, the rhino centre's in a new place. The place is secret, to keep the babies safe.
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