It’s been a year since the gunshots in the darkness. The rangers searched high and low and didn’t find any carcasses, but nor could they find any sign of the black rhino Tara and her young calf.
For three months the rangers combed her home range, searching for any clue that they were still alive, but there was never any good news. Time passed and we slowly and sadly accepted that poachers had likely killed the two.
But without the bodies there was always a chance, and that small glimmer of hope recently turned to celebration after a camera trap turned up a picture of Tara and calf, both looking strong and healthy.
This is a demonstration of how challenging is the terrain that is home to this small remnant population of black rhino. These animals are completely wild and the population has never been managed in any way, they are true survivors from a time when Africa was wild and unobstructed by human development. They are few, but they are critically important.
