The rhino calf born in Liwonde just a few months ago was recently seen with a snare around its foot so our WERU vet, Amanda, responded immediately and ventured down last week to help. As calf was alongside its mother, Namatunu, it took some time until the opportune moment to dart the mother arose, but this was successful and the calf was sedated shortly afterwards.
The full team set to work and assessed the damage. The snare had already come off but left a nasty wound that needed attention. So, the wound was cleaned up and antibiotics were administered to avoid infection. During the procedure it was also discovered that the calf is a female!
A VHF transmitter was then attached to her tail so that she can be monitored to make sure the injury heals properly and she experiences no further problems as a result. Once awake, both mother and daughter were seen leaving the area together and have been spotted doing well since then, so we hope that Namatunu’s calf is now over the worst.
