- He is rather intimidating even at this size.
All he needs to do is swing his head once
in the wrong direction.
If he catches your knee,
(blows raspberry) leg broken,
so he's just doesn't know his own strength.
(dramatic music)
(air whooshing)
Over the years, I have had the chance to work
with many adorable baby animals,
but none of them were built like a tank.
(upbeat music)
Today I'm visiting the Zululand Conservation Trust's
Rhino Orphanage.
Now for the past year, they have been tending to the needs
of a little orphan rhino named Leko.
Leko arrived at the orphanage several days after being born,
malnourished and grossly underweight.
He was extracted from the wild
because his mother had an infected abscess on her udder,
which made it impossible for him to properly feed.
(suspenseful music)
The milk distributed from a cow to her calf is crucial.
It contains a fluid known as colostrum,
which has rich levels of antibodies
necessary to promote growth and health in newborn mammals.
So in the wild, without it, Leko would have certainly died.
Mmh, smells good.
This is not baby rhino milk powder, it is horse.
(upbeat music)
Millions of years ago,
rhinos and horses shared a common ancestor,
and today they're both classified
under the order Perissodactyla.
That goes on top and now it's time to feed Leko.
(Leko growling) (playful music)
(Leko sucking)
Yeah, there you go.
That is some serious chugging power right there.
Now at any point do I wanna give Leko
a little bit of a break or is it just?
Uh-oh, Dorothy.
That's Dorothy, Leko's friend.
I know I didn't make any milk for you, I'm sorry.
Almost there, almost there.
(playful music)
And that's it, you drank it all.
Coyote's special blend consumed in just a matter of seconds.
And now we go to pellets?
- [Woman] Yes.
- Hand feeding?
- [Simone] Yes.
- So do I just kinda put it flat like I was feeding a horse?
- [Simone] Put your hand inside.
- [Coyote] Oh!
- [Simone] They don't have teeth in the front--
- [Coyote] Yeah, just those big, squishy lips.
Okay, all right, here we go.
We're going hand into a rhino lip, there we go.
Get my hand all the way up in there.
Their lips are so squishy and very slobbery.
I'll be sure to use my hand sanitizer after this okay.
(chomping noise)
That is a handful of baby rhino slime.
At the orphanage,
Leko was placed under the constant care of Simone
where he was fed milk every two hours
while a plasma drip helped strengthen his immune system.
Eventually, this skinny little rhino began
to show signs of improvement.
As his weight increased and he gained noticeable strength
to add to his very rambunctious personality.
(lively music)
- He's been in my care
at the facility since he was day one.
- [Coyote] Wow!
- One day old.
Yeah, so we have a very strong bond
that's really special for me.
I didn't actually realize how a rhino could bond
with a human so closely.
And yeah, it's incredible.
- [Coyote] White rhinos are quite gregarious,
so once he was healthy enough,
Leko was provided a companion.
An athletic, all attitude,
taking-no-funny-business-from-anyone goat named Dorothy.
They were besties at first sight and since that day,
they have been inseparable.
(lively music)
After a nutritious breakfast, it was time for some exercise
and you never know what's going to happen
when you enter the paddock of an 800 pound baby
who has no concept of his own strength.
This is part of daily enrichment right here,
being out in the exercise bola.
He's got a little tail wag going.
Careful. Careful.
Don't let him put his head up in the air.
- [Camera man] I see you buddy.
- [Coyote] How many months old is Leko?
- [Simone] He's ten months old.
- [Coyote] Ten months old.
At even ten months you can see he is an absolute powerhouse.
Solid muscle. Watch out for that horn.
(suspenseful music)
Little treats.
(grass rustling)
- It's just like, I'm not scared of him but it's like
you don't know what he's gonna do.
- He is rather intimidating even at this size.
All he needs to do is swing his head once
in the wrong direction.
If he catches your knee, (blows raspberry) leg broken,
so he just doesn't know his own strength.
At this size, he's a very, very powerful animal
so we got to be extra careful.
Uh oh, Mario's stuck in the corner.
Is it an electric fence?
- I didn't know if it was electric or not.
That's why I was freaking out.
(indistinct chatter)
Get cornered by a rhino, just every morning routine.
- Come on Leko.
- Let's see, I'm gonna come right here.
Yeah, good morning.
(upbeat music)
Don't eat the whole thing here, I'll get some out.
Here we go.
(upbeat music)
Watch the camera.
(upbeat music)
Oh buddy, you feel just like an old baseball mitt.
I know, chin scratch?
Okay yeah, chin scratch. Let's see.
That's good.
(lively music)
You can see all the hoof marks on him from Dorothy.
I didn't know what all those scrapes were initially
until I saw her jump up on him.
That's so funny.
(lively music)
Yes, you're eating my knee.
I see. Very strong lips.
(lively music)
He's trying to eat my pants.
What's up goatee?
(lively music)
- Look at that.
- [Coyote] The Zululand Rhino Orphanage
takes in young animals
whose parents' have either become victims of poaching
or like in Leko's case,
who're unable to properly care for them.
Leko will not be the last animal to thrive
under the supervision of this orphanage.
And like those before him,
he will eventually be released back into the wild
to carry on the future of rhinos
as another survivor success story.
All right, well there you have it.
You got the chance to feed, hang out,
and definitely romp around with a baby rhino.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave. Stay wild.
We'll see you on the next adventure.
(Coyote and Simone laughing)
And, that's a perfect way to wrap it up.
If you would like to adopt a baby rhino or a hippo
without having to clean up after it, this is your chance.
Get involved by clicking this link
to find out how you can support Africa's orphaned animals.
(air whooshing) (birds chirping)