Apollo, an orphaned black rhino was left stranded after his mother died at the Tsavo West National Park, hours before it got dark.
However, while doing routine patrols at the park, rangers from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) Canine Unit in a helicopter, were alerted of the incident and acted swiftly to save the six-month-old calf before he fell prey to predators.
Rangers from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Tsavo Trust coordinated to rescue the calf in the bushy areas of the Tsavo in 2019.
According to the rangers, the calf was startled by the sound of the helicopter and took off, running deeper into the park - this prompted a chase minutes before the clock struck 7 pm.
For a moment, Apollo was nowhere to be seen, he was avoiding being caught by the rangers, Despite his young age, the calf was strong and fast.
The rangers recalled the difficulty in flying the helicopter and following the calf due to the strong winds while those on the ground confronted a difficult terrain.
The intense rescue mission was attributed to four rangers, Nick, Bakari, Ben, and Andy both from the KWS and SWT who worked to rescue the calf.
"Restraining a six-month-old rhino is no easy task, but the men involved in this rescue rose to the occasion because it took a herculean effort to pull off this rescue before all hope was lost. They carried the rhino through the bush to the waiting SWT helicopter," Sheldrick Wildlife Trust stated on its website.
Apollo was blindfolded and his ears covered to calm him down as well as his legs tied during the helicopter ride to the SWT stables in Kaluku, 15 minutes away.
Currently, Apollo is being taken care of at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kaluku awaiting adoption.
"We have positioned our three most experienced rhino Keepers with him, men who have raised many black rhinos over the years, so that he is in the best possible care," SWT stated.
On Tuesday, March 14, Apollo celebrated his fourth birthday after years at the SWT.
"We are so grateful to everyone who dedicated themselves to saving little Apollo. Every rhino life is precious, particularly when you consider that there are over 900 black rhinos remaining in Kenya," SWT explained.
