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TSHIWANA

By Charlie LILLINGSTON-PRICE

Environmental - Completed 2020

Rescuing baby Kei, the orphan rhino.

- Year of production
- 2020
- Genres
- Environmental, Documentary
- Countries
- SOUTH AFRICA
- Languages
- ENGLISH
- Duration
- 44 mn
- Director(s)
- Charlie LILLINGSTON-PRICE
- Synopsis
- Two to three rhinos are brutally killed every day for their horn. Their calves are left orphaned. Hidden in a remote part of Limpopo, South Africa, three women, Yolandé, Zanre and Janie, are rescuing as many of these calves as they can. The motherly team work around the clock to care for the babies, there are no weekends or holidays as each little rhino needs a lot of love, attention, food and milk. On a cold May night, Yolande and her team collect 18 month old Kei and bring him to The Rhino Orphanage in a trailer. In the days following the rescue Kei is completely distraught, won't stop calling for his mother and is rejected by his companions. A week later, Kei's friends start to accept him, and the orphans will be released together into a day-camp where they will roam until they are ready to return to the wild. Post-doc researcher, Maria, is undertaking the first ever study on orphan rhino rehabilitation and the results so far suggest that it is working. The released orphans are vitally important to the whole rhino population in Africa.