A charity group started several years ago to collect blankets for baby rhinos orphaned by poaching was this week thrust into the spotlight again after an old post of theirs resurfaced on social media.
Blanket for Baby Rhinos (BBR) founder and ex-pat South African veterinary surgeon Elisa Best said since the post went viral on Facebook, they have been getting an influx of blanket donations.
Best, however, was happy to report that while they appreciate all donations, the situation on the ground had changed greatly from when she founded the organisation.
“At the moment the demand for baby rhino blankets has dropped off a bit. I feel we must just tell people that if they send us blankets, they will be used, just not necessarily for baby rhinos. There are others in need in the wild as well,” Best said.
Moira Shein, the head of SANparks Honorary Rangers' K9 Project Watchdog, agreed.
“It is fantastic that we now have less orphaned baby rhinos from poaching in SANParks reserves than how many blankets people can knit,” she said.
So what exactly is being done with the excess blankets?
Shein told TimesLIVE Premium the people behind their anti-poaching projects have also felt the warmth of the BBR smile.
“The rangers often have to live in isolated places to do their very important work,” said Shein.
“BBR has knitted soft toys for rangers' kids who do not have access to shops. This is a very caring bunch,” Shein said.
Best, who registered BBR as a charity in 2018, said over the years, most of their supporters have been people living outside South Africa.
“Most members live in North America or Europe. We have no salaried employees. All involved are volunteers.”
The organisation's operations are not limited to knitting and donating blankets.
“Last year we raised and donated £18,000 (about 431,000) to various organisations in South Africa. Most of these were for orphanages, including one in Zimbabwe, but some donations also went to SANParks,” Best said.
Shein could not stop praising the work done by BBR for South African wildlife and people in the business of protecting it.
She said BBR also helps the canine guardians of our wildlife.
“SANParks has six K9 units and its handlers stationed on Table Mountain. These units sometimes have to confront evildoers, and one of our big fears was that a criminal would stab one of our wonderful dogs. BBR donated six kevlar vests, so our dogs can safely do their work,” Shein told TimesLIVE Premium.
“They also helped with funding the training of dogs and their handlers, and donated gloves and balaclavas for the rangers to wear when they are on winter operations.”
“BBR might have started out with only blankets, but it has become a real force and an integral part of our donor base,” Shein said.
According to Shein and Best, “Care for Wild” near Mbombela is the largest orphanage for baby rhinos in the country.
Care for Wild's Rachael Pfeiffer told TimesLIVE Premium they love their friends at BBR.
“They have supplied us with milk for orphans, teff bales for rhinos, AI-enabled tracking collars for released rhinos and backpacks and headlamps for the anti-poaching unit. They also donated handmade blankets for the rhinos and caregivers, and jerseys, hats and scarves for the community children,” Pfeiffer said.
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