Petronel worked with the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary in South Africa, which was listed as the largest rhino sanctuary in the world. Recently, the team had rescued a baby rhino, Swazi, who was just a few days old. Swazi was abandoned by her mom, and Petronel’s team knew that she would not be able to survive on her own.
They loaded her inside a helicopter since she was very tiny. She was just a baby and absolutely helpless. When she arrived at the sanctuary, she was kept alone as she was too small for the other rhinos. Swazi had nobody to console her. Petronel found this very heartbreaking. After that, however, the rhino slowly got better.
However, she felt lonely and unfortunate. The caretakers did not know what to do, but they had this crazy idea. They had recently rescued a goat, Bokkie, who was also in desperate need of a friend. When Bokkie met Swazi, he jumped on her, trying to get her to play. Then, slowly but surely, he started to chase her in return.
Swazi was getting a spring in her step. Seeing the rhino do the little run-hops made Petronel excited. It was such a relief for the people at the sanctuary to find the rhino so joyful and happy. She was finally learning how to enjoy life. Their friendship was shaping up to be so special for both of them. As they grew up, Swazi and Bokkie had a routine together. Every morning they raided the whole sanctuary for food.
Swazi still thought she was tiny and would love to go over and sniff the cat, sneak into the smallest of places, and push herself into humans. She had no idea how big she was. Later, Swazi and Bokkie would go on their favorite walks together.
The rhino loved the mud baths, but the goat friend was not convinced about it, but he was always nearby. They were absolutely glued to each other. After a long day of their shenanigans, the two would snuggle in for a good nap. Now that they were growing up, it was time to continue their journey with their own kind.
Swazi was recently spotted with a black rhino bull with a lovely and promising connection. Thanks to Bokkie’s unlikely friendship, Swazi got a second chance in life. The rhino got the happy ending that she deserved.
If you liked this, share it with a friend.
