Dear Friends and Supporters of Esme,
We are delighted to update you that Esme, the youngest rhino in our care at HESC, that you have been kind enough to contribute towards, is healthy and well, and growing up very fast.
Looking back at how skinny she was when she arrived at our centre at the end of last year, it is hard to believe she is the same rhino. She will be fully weaned within seven months from now, which means no more milk feedings, which many of our curators will surely miss. Your contributions have helped greatly towards the heavy costs of her milk, and getting her to where is today, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Esme is spending most of her day now, out in nature, going for long walks, and loving mud baths, especially as we are now having much hotter days as we approach our hot South African summer.
We introduced an additional friend to Esme, a little hand-raised Pedi-Sheep, called Millie, who never leaves her side now. Pedi-sheep's have a beautiful nature, as they are so accepting to most breeds of animals. She was introduced to Esme with the aim of having a more nurturing type of friend, almost like a surrogate mother. It took quite a slow and gradual process to get them acquainted, and comfortable with one another, but our patience has paid off. We have attached a photo of their introduction, as well as them now, a few months into their friendship.
David, the Anatolian Shepherd, is still on the scene, though we had to separate them for a while, as David was way too rough for Millie, as she was still very young.
Another big update from our centre, is the introduction of two more dedicated HESC Anti-poaching unit members, two members of the Black Mambas Anti Poaching unit in South Africa, an all female unit. We are increasing our security to ensure Esme and the other rhino's in our care have as much security as possible. This is by far our greatest cost for the centre at the moment, but it is absolutely essential. We would be grateful for your ongoing support for Esme's daily costs, as every penny, no matter how small, counts, and keeps our centre in operation.
Lookout for World Rhino Day coming up, 22 September 2018.
Thank you again from all of us,
Yours in Conservation,
The HESC Team
