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Rhino calf tried to suckle from mom who killed and hacked off horns by poachers

Rhino calf tried to suckle from mom who killed and hacked off horns by poachers

Rhino calf tried to suckle from mom who killed and hacked off horns by poachers

2018-02-22 12:28 Last Updated At:12:28

Baby rhino called desperately: "Wake up Mum! Why don't you answer me?"

A baby rhino walked around its mum anxiously, nudging her head and even tried to suckle milk from her. But the mother rhino has been shot to dead and unresponsive, with both horns being hacked off. This tragic scene happening at a national park in South Africa is heartbreaking.

Magnus News Agency

Magnus News Agency

A video filmed by the charity Rhino 911 exposed this devastating and guilty act by the poachers. The filmer Nico Jacobs said: 'I can't understand this it's absolutely horrific to see, to see how it's trying to suckle some milk.' 

Rhino 911 was alerted the appearance of the rhino calf without mother, which is abnormal. They arrived the spot and only to find the terrible truth - an orphan baby rhino desperately calling for mum. But some night lions were already devouring the mother's carcass.

Magnus News Agency

Magnus News Agency

"Fortunately for us the baby had gone back to its mum and we were able to immediately alert the vet and to take it to safety."

KIDEPO VALLY NATIONAL PARK, Uganda (AP) — Rhinos have been reintroduced to Uganda's Kidepo Valley National Park after populations there were wiped out by poaching.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

A rhinoceros stands inside the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary after being darted, which will put it to sleep, as rangers prepare to relocate it to Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

A rhinoceros stands inside the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary after being darted, which will put it to sleep, as rangers prepare to relocate it to Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

A southern white rhinoceros stands outside a transportation crate at Kidepo Valley National Park, after being relocated from a private ranch in Uganda, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

A southern white rhinoceros stands outside a transportation crate at Kidepo Valley National Park, after being relocated from a private ranch in Uganda, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

Rangers work with a rhinoceros after it was transported in a crate to Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

Rangers work with a rhinoceros after it was transported in a crate to Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

A truck carrying a rhinoceros in a transportation crate arrives at Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

A truck carrying a rhinoceros in a transportation crate arrives at Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

Veterians label a rhino that was relocated to Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

Veterians label a rhino that was relocated to Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

A ranger darts a rhinoceros at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary before relocating it to Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

A ranger darts a rhinoceros at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary before relocating it to Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

Veterinarians label a rhinoceros at the Kidepo Rhino Sanctuary before it is released to the wild in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

Veterinarians label a rhinoceros at the Kidepo Rhino Sanctuary before it is released to the wild in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

A rhinoceros gets labeled at the Kidepo Rhino Sanctuary before being released to the wild in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

A rhinoceros gets labeled at the Kidepo Rhino Sanctuary before being released to the wild in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

Rangers prepare a rhinoceros for transport from the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

Rangers prepare a rhinoceros for transport from the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

A rhinoceros stands in a transportation crate as it is relocated to Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

A rhinoceros stands in a transportation crate as it is relocated to Kidepo Valley National Park in north-eastern Uganda, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Dipak)

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