On Rhino Rescue Mission with Rugged Tablets

Care for Wild—a Unique Sanctuary for Rhino Orphans

"Over the past decade, we have had extremely high losses due to poaching. We had to take in up to six orphaned rhino calves per month. Fortunately, that number has now dropped somewhat," says Samuel Cilliers, Tech Manager at Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary.

The South African organization Care for Wild is the largest of its kind in the world dedicated to rescuing and protecting orphaned rhinos. Orphaned rhino calves are brought to the sanctuary from various reserves, including the famous Kruger National Park. 

"The rhinos—mostly calves only a few months old—are usually spotted by rangers or safari tourists and then brought to us by helicopter," says Samuel Cilliers, explaining the usual procedure. "Without the mother’s protection, the small rhinos are easy prey for lions and hyenas. They often come to us in a terrible condition, completely dehydrated and with severe injuries. So our first task is to give them veterinary treatment in our intensive care unit to save their lives."

Comprehensive Data Acquisition with Rugged Industrial Tablets

At Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary, each individual rhino has its own digital record that contains a large amount of extremely important data. "We collect a lot of data on the rhinos, such as diet, weight, biometrics, medical history, movement, behavioral observations, and group dynamics," explains Tech Manager Samuel Cilliers. "These data provide invaluable insights into how orphaned rhinos can be successfully rescued, rehabilitated, and released into the wild." Analysis of the data is also extremely important for the reintroduction phase, providing information on reproductive success, changes in group dynamics, and the development and establishment of the rhinos’ social hierarchy.

Technologies Used in the Preservation of Rhino Populations

Many of Care for Wild's existing standard operating procedures have evolved over the years of monitoring and recording observations and analyses. Continuous digital information is not only useful in monitoring an individual rhino—historical data also serves as a reference point for new arrivals, such as assessing the age of a calf or treating wounds and injuries. 

The data collected and best-practice protocols for rhino rescue, rehabilitation, and care also allow Care for Wild to assist and advise other organizations on rhino care as a center of expertise.

Last but not least, the tablets enable the reporting of indications of possible poaching activities, including suspicious vehicles or signs of trespassing in protected areas. These reports are relayed to special ranger units, some of which patrol on horseback or use trained tracking dogs. Drones and thermal imaging cameras are also used to stop illegal activity as quickly as possible. These significant efforts by the state and park authorities are intended to further curb poaching.

Two Glimmers of Hope

And there is good news: "Recently, we celebrated the birth of the first rhino calf descended from orphaned rhino parents," says Samuel Cilliers. "We didn't know how the young mother rhino would behave toward her calf because she had never had older mothers as role models in her life. But it seems that instinct steered her in the right direction. Not only that, but just two weeks later, another rhino calf was born, also from two rhino orphans. The data our Rhino Monitors collected using the tablets shows that the two young rhino families are doing very well!" This gives us hope that our efforts will pay off and that we will eventually be able to talk about a recovering rhino population.