Our little girl in blue is doing well. While Raha’s journey remains a unique and unprecedented one, we are happy with her progress.
Raha, starting to look every inch a black rhino!
Following the unexpected prolapse of her rectum in November and subsequent surgery, Raha healed quickly and shows no signs of a repeat setback. Working with our trusted veterinarians, we continue to monitor her very closely.
These days, Raha is stronger and more active, eating generously (though still reluctant to consume the roughage that makes up a typical black rhino’s diet), and her injured rear end isn’t giving her any major issues at the moment. She is becoming more ‘rhino’ by the day, with her huffs and puffs and bursts of energy.
Raha exploring in her signature blue blanket
Those who have been part of Raha’s journey for a long time will know that she adores suckling her Keepers’ trouser legs as a self-soothing gesture. She continues to bunk up with a dedicated Keeper each night, but their legs need rest! So, we decided to ensure on-tap access to Raha's preferred pacifier by hanging a pair of green trousers in the corner of her stable. This has become Raha’s favourite ‘territory,’ and she can often be found asleep beneath them. These small gestures go a long way in keeping our little girl comfortable and content.
As you may have read in the latest Keepers’ Diaries from the Nursery, Raha has a special friendship with Mzinga. We don’t usually encourage friendships between orphaned rhinos and elephants, as they do not interact in the wild, but Mzinga is determined to visit Raha periodically. One morning, as Raha plodded out to the forest, Mzinga spotted her from a distance and ran over to greet her. Seeing Mzinga wandering away, her browsing companions—Nyambeni and Taroha—decided to follow. The three elephants greeted the rhino with rumbles, Raha tolerated their presence, and they stood next to her for a few minutes before we shepherded them back to the herd.
Every adventure is followed by a sun-dappled nap
Raha is such a treasured member of our Nursery herd, adored by all. She has well and truly captured the hearts of her Keepers, who are unwaveringly committed to her. (It’s not uncommon to find a whole team of Keepers surrounding Raha’s stable in the evening, just to say hello and spend time with their little girl — as you can see in this cute moment between Raha and Keeper Peter!)
Raha was dealt a challenging hand but has faced every hurdle with her signature surly determination. We continue to take things day by day, but at present, all is good in Raha’s world!