Rhino calf filmed suckling dead mother after South African poachers hack off horn

More than 1,000 rhinos were illegally slaughtered in country last year

A one-month-old rhino calf has been filmed suckling its dead mother’s body after she was killed by poachers in South Africa.

The older rhino lies unresponsive in a puddle of mud as her infant tries to feed in footage released by an animal rescue charity.

Rhino 911 said the mother’s horn had been hacked off hours before she was found in a national park this week.

The footage was filmed by Nico Jacbos, a pilot for the charity, which uses a helicopter to rescue injured and orphaned rhinos.

In the video, Mr Jacobs is heard saying: “The tragic scene of a poached mother. The little baby, a heifer calf, trying desperately to suckle some milk. There’s no response from the mother.”

A team tranquillised the young female with a dart before taking her in a jeep to its rhino orphanage, where staff named her Charlotte.

She was fed with a bottle, and was given a blindfold and earplugs to minimise stress as she recovers from the trauma of losing her mother and adjusts to her surroundings.

More than 7,000 rhinos were slaughtered in South Africa in the last 10 years as poaching soared to record levels.

Some 1,028 were killed last year, compared to just 13 in 2007. While the reasons for the sudden surge are complex and hotly contested, an increase in demand for rhino horn in Asia is believed to have played a part.