Sweet Chilli's Story
Sweet Chilli is a 5 year old rhino who lives in South Africa. His life had a normal beginning; stayed with his mother in his first few years before joining up with two other young bulls. Unfortunately, this did not last, and everything changed for him.
His mother, Cheeky Cow, died on 10th October 2014, when she was brutally murdered by poachers. These poachers broke onto the reserve in the night. She was shot and her spine was slashed; then her horn was ruthlessly hacked off her face while she was still alive. Her baby, Charlie, who was roughly 6 months old at the time, ran away from her dying mother and was left motherless at a crucial age. Winnie, a pregnant female, was also killed in the poaching incident. After being shot, Winnie ran for hours, terrified, until eventually collapsing. The poachers never got to her, and so she died with her horn; but it was too late to save her and her unborn baby.
Following Cheeky Cow's death, Sweet Chilli adopted his younger sister, Charlie, and looked after her. At first Charlie was nudging Chilli for milk, which was heart-breaking to see, but Chilli looked out for Charlie and the two of them had a wonderful bond.
Following the poaching, the reserve decided to de-horn their rhino to make them less vulnerable to poaching. Patrol, the dominant male on the reserve was around 30 years old, and so they knew the anaesthetic was a risk. However, had they not gone ahead with the de-horning, Patrol was sure to be poached and so it was a risk worth taking. Sadly, Patrol never did wake up from the anaesthetic.
This loss was heart breaking as he had been dominant for so many years, and was quite the character. However hard it was for everyone, it is much better that Patrol died peacefully rather than being brutally poached and dying a painful and unjust death. Patrol will always be remembered as the heart of the reserve.
Charlie was too young to be de-horned; but the team's biggest fear was splitting her and Chilli up. While Chilli was being de-horned, Charlie remained close to him despite her fear, but was kept at a safe distance by vehicles. Unfortunately when Chilli woke up, the both ran in opposite directions. For days, they were split, and Charlie could not be found.
Eventually she was found, alone and scared, but they were united soon. It was a traumatic few days for everyone, but once they were back together, everyone could relax slightly, knowing Chilli would continue to look after Charlie as best he could, which he did for several months.
In late July 2015, Magoo, who became the dominant bull following Patrol's death, attacked young Charlie (aged 18 months). He threw her several metres in the air. For the next few days Magoo, along with two other bulls Luke and Dougie, continued to attack Charlie, and Chilli when he stepped into defend her. It was unclear to all as to why this was happening. Furthermore, Charlie was looking very small for her age and underweight, which was causing worry.
It was decided that Chilli and Charlie should be moved into a boma, away from Magoo. We were all in South Africa at this time so could help out. A boma was built within 3 days thanks to a dedicated team of people. who were an honour to work alongside. Chilli and Charlie were darted and transferred into the boma.
Tragically, Charlie passed away on 3rd August 2015. This came as heart breaking news to all, and she will always be remembered for her courage after everything she went through. Her footsteps may be gone, but she's alive in memory.
After her death it was made clear that Charlie had died due to being malnourished as she did not have the access to her mother's milk for long enough. This is why she was attacked; the other rhinos knew she was weak and, in nature, survival of the fittest is how things work. Only the strongest genes are wanted for reproduction and they knew she was not strong enough. This was not clear to us at all at the time, but she was not attacked out of anger, fun or ignorance from the other animals. They knew she wouldn't survive and so wanted to kill her first.
Most of all, Charlie's death was heart breaking for Sweet Chilli. He was her older brother, who had cared for her for more than half of her life. They had a beautiful bond, and he had helped keep her alive for as long as he could. Initially, Chilli refused to leave her body, and when the boma was opened he did not leave. After his release, he was not seen for several days. Eventually we spotted him alone standing in a bush.
After some time, he joined up with Kelly, and her baby Mac. He's doing well, and has now joined up with Jodi and Reine and is seeming happy, which is lovely to see after everything he's been through.
Therefore, ONE poaching incident led to the death of 5 rhinos; Cheeky Cow, Winnie, her unborn baby, Patrol and Charlie. That one incident has also prevented the life of many more rhinos in terms of breeding prospects.
Sweet Chilli's story shows the beautiful nature of these animals; they're not emotionless or numb. They build strong relationships, are very social and they look out for one another. Sweet Chilli is a hero.
Let Rhinos Roam Free wants to help these animals any way we can to keep them safe and healthy. Money we raised in the past helped in funding an anti-poaching unit for a few months. They're incredible animals and we want to help protect them, and give them the chance they deserve, to prevent the extinction they're facing.
His mother, Cheeky Cow, died on 10th October 2014, when she was brutally murdered by poachers. These poachers broke onto the reserve in the night. She was shot and her spine was slashed; then her horn was ruthlessly hacked off her face while she was still alive. Her baby, Charlie, who was roughly 6 months old at the time, ran away from her dying mother and was left motherless at a crucial age. Winnie, a pregnant female, was also killed in the poaching incident. After being shot, Winnie ran for hours, terrified, until eventually collapsing. The poachers never got to her, and so she died with her horn; but it was too late to save her and her unborn baby.
Following Cheeky Cow's death, Sweet Chilli adopted his younger sister, Charlie, and looked after her. At first Charlie was nudging Chilli for milk, which was heart-breaking to see, but Chilli looked out for Charlie and the two of them had a wonderful bond.
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| Patrol |
This loss was heart breaking as he had been dominant for so many years, and was quite the character. However hard it was for everyone, it is much better that Patrol died peacefully rather than being brutally poached and dying a painful and unjust death. Patrol will always be remembered as the heart of the reserve.
Charlie was too young to be de-horned; but the team's biggest fear was splitting her and Chilli up. While Chilli was being de-horned, Charlie remained close to him despite her fear, but was kept at a safe distance by vehicles. Unfortunately when Chilli woke up, the both ran in opposite directions. For days, they were split, and Charlie could not be found.
Eventually she was found, alone and scared, but they were united soon. It was a traumatic few days for everyone, but once they were back together, everyone could relax slightly, knowing Chilli would continue to look after Charlie as best he could, which he did for several months.
In late July 2015, Magoo, who became the dominant bull following Patrol's death, attacked young Charlie (aged 18 months). He threw her several metres in the air. For the next few days Magoo, along with two other bulls Luke and Dougie, continued to attack Charlie, and Chilli when he stepped into defend her. It was unclear to all as to why this was happening. Furthermore, Charlie was looking very small for her age and underweight, which was causing worry.
It was decided that Chilli and Charlie should be moved into a boma, away from Magoo. We were all in South Africa at this time so could help out. A boma was built within 3 days thanks to a dedicated team of people. who were an honour to work alongside. Chilli and Charlie were darted and transferred into the boma.
Tragically, Charlie passed away on 3rd August 2015. This came as heart breaking news to all, and she will always be remembered for her courage after everything she went through. Her footsteps may be gone, but she's alive in memory.
After her death it was made clear that Charlie had died due to being malnourished as she did not have the access to her mother's milk for long enough. This is why she was attacked; the other rhinos knew she was weak and, in nature, survival of the fittest is how things work. Only the strongest genes are wanted for reproduction and they knew she was not strong enough. This was not clear to us at all at the time, but she was not attacked out of anger, fun or ignorance from the other animals. They knew she wouldn't survive and so wanted to kill her first.
Most of all, Charlie's death was heart breaking for Sweet Chilli. He was her older brother, who had cared for her for more than half of her life. They had a beautiful bond, and he had helped keep her alive for as long as he could. Initially, Chilli refused to leave her body, and when the boma was opened he did not leave. After his release, he was not seen for several days. Eventually we spotted him alone standing in a bush.
After some time, he joined up with Kelly, and her baby Mac. He's doing well, and has now joined up with Jodi and Reine and is seeming happy, which is lovely to see after everything he's been through.
Therefore, ONE poaching incident led to the death of 5 rhinos; Cheeky Cow, Winnie, her unborn baby, Patrol and Charlie. That one incident has also prevented the life of many more rhinos in terms of breeding prospects.
Sweet Chilli's story shows the beautiful nature of these animals; they're not emotionless or numb. They build strong relationships, are very social and they look out for one another. Sweet Chilli is a hero.
Let Rhinos Roam Free wants to help these animals any way we can to keep them safe and healthy. Money we raised in the past helped in funding an anti-poaching unit for a few months. They're incredible animals and we want to help protect them, and give them the chance they deserve, to prevent the extinction they're facing.
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| Sweet Chilli and Charlie |
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| Sweet Chilli with Luke and Dougie Photos by Kate Sheridan |
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