FUNDRAISER FOR VaLENTINO THE LONELY RHINO

Valentino the Lonely Rhino! 1 of 2

Valentino The Lonely Rhino, 2 of 2 videos.

PLEASE HELP US REHOME
VALENTINO THE LONELY RHINO
AND FIND HIM TWO PARTNERS TO START HIS OWN FAMILY

Valentino is an 11-year old, white rhino bull, currently located in an unnamed reserve in South Africa. Valentino has had an extremely traumatic and challenging life. 

When he was a mere few months old, Valentino’s entire family was poached. His mom and 5 other rhinos, slaughtered by poachers in a single massacre. Valentino was left alone to live his early days out as an orphan, dealing with the trauma of witnessing his family being slaughtered around him. Rhino calves and elephant calves spend two years weaning, more than most wildlife.

Dr. Lorinda Hern shares a story in Breaking Their Silence: Women on the Frontline of the Poaching War about how deeply rhino calves can be affected by their mother’s brutal death - click here to watch a short clip.

Valentino was moved to a rehabilitation facility where he was introduced to a younger rhino cow. The two bonded and became best friends, they were however kept in a smaller area to allow for the bonding process. Due to the success of this introduction and bonding, the decision was made to move the two rhinos to a larger reserve. Unfortunately, when they arrived, the cow decided to join a larger herd and Valentino was left alone, once agai. Valentino has battled to settle at this new reserve and he has taken his frustration out on vehicles, reserve infrastructure and people. It is critical that we move him to a new facility and find him two younger cows to befriend. 

 

Proposed solution: 

Our partners at the Aspinall Foundation have found the perfect new home for Valentino and we would like to help them move him. It needs to be done as soon as possible and they they will identify two lovely ladies to join him so he can start his own family and maybe become a dad!

We believe that Valentino deserves to be happy and live his years out in the company of other rhinos. Valentino is a sign of hope for rhinos and rhino owners who have experienced the brutality of poaching.

What we need: 

  • We need to build Valentino and his ladies an enclosure of approximately 5 hectares to allow them to bond and settle them into their new home. ($5,900) 

  • We need to acquire two rhino cows to join Valentino and start a family unit (a crash) ($10,600) 

  • Most importantly, we then need to provide 24-hour security for all three rhinos. This would include 2 rangers watching over them day and night, year round. ($8,235 per annum) 

The life of every rhino in Africa matters and we urgently need your support to help Valentino! Please donate, however small or large, you WILL be making a difference to the rhino population in general, but specifically to lonely Valentino. Thank you!