The rangers were doing their rounds in a South African National Park. They saw a dead rhinoceros as they made their rounds. There was a baby sitting next to the body, crying and poking its face into its mother’s side, as if it didn’t want to believe she was dead.
The rhinoceros was very sad, his whole appearance evoked sympathy, so the rangers decided to help the baby. They took the baby away from its dead mother and covered its eyes with a wet cloth so it wouldn’t be frightened.
A damp cloth helped moisten the baby’s eyes, for people did not know how many hours he had spent crying over his mother’s body. The rhinoceros was named Gertie.
People understood that the baby would not be able to survive alone in the reserve, so the rangers picked him up and took him to a center that specializes in wildlife rescue. The rhinoceros was examined by veterinarians, who found out that it was only three months old.
Gertie was left at the center and placed in an aviary with a sheep named Scap, who became his foster mother.
Christo Schreiber, an employee of the center, took care of Gertie. She spent a lot of time with the rhino, even staying overnight with him, since for a long time the baby could not sleep alone. Gertie is still too young, he feeds on milk.
Christo teaches the rhinoceros everything an adult animal should know.
The baby is shown how to look for food, take mud baths, and escape the dangers.
Gertie is not the best student yet, but he is too young to learn all the wisdom of life in the wild. The rhinoceros loves to cuddle and play with people.
