Three Men And A Rhino

Carla's story.

The resettlement program of Zimbabwe moved second and third generation farmers and ranchers off African lands.  With the diminished numbers of these conservationists, we lost many custodians of Africa’s wildlife.
Illegal settlers spread into the wildlife areas clearing habitat for subsistence farming.

These activities, combined with the relentless slaughter of African Rhino had poaching and habit encroachment at an all time high.

Several years ago, sixteen adjoining property owners pulled down their boundary fences to create a 275,000 acre wilderness for the rhino and wildlife.
They created the Chiredzi River Conservancy.  This is where we concentrate our efforts.

Beginning in 2000, there was a dramatic upsurge in snaring, with rhino being a primary target. With more and more illegal settlers moving in to the wildlife area, the few game scouts patrolling the Conservancy were unable to keep the poaching in check.

In an effort to stop the rhino poaching, extensive efforts were made to dart and dehorn any rhino carrying a large enough horn deemed valuable to poachers.

Our story begins in September of 2007 with professional hunter Barry Style of Buffalo Range Safaris.
On this particular day, Barry received a report from his game scouts that the carcass of a rhino had been discovered near the Chiredzi River.
Accompanied by his scouts, he was met with the pitiful site of a small rhino calf standing alongside the rotting corpse of her mother.

The calf had a maggot–infested wound along her face and an infected bullet wound above her shoulders.  The mother had been killed and dehorned by poachers as much as 3 days prior.  The little calf tried to stay near her mother, but poachers had driven a machete into her face in an attempt to remove her tiny three inch horn. The calf managed to escape, but not before being shot and wounded.  Barry and the scouts tried to capture her, but she ran off and their efforts to locate her before nightfall were in vain.

The next morning, Barry was to start a safari with Nick and Carla Ohanesian, and veterinarian Bill Bannister.  He received a radio call that the calf had returned to its mother.  With all in agreement, the safari was put on hold.  Not owning a dart gun, Barry contacted a neighboring Conservancy and arranged for the manager to drive over and sedate the calf with a dart.

Once sedated, Barry's veterinarian client Dr. Bannister started IV’s and went to work cleaning the maggot infested wounds.

Once stable, the calf was delivered to Barry’s mom Jane who nursed the calf's wounds.

Jane raised the young orphan which they named Carla.

As fall progressed, it was clear the rhino of the Chiredzi River Conservancy were being targeted.

Following the loss of 6 rhino to armed poachers, the decision was made to capture what rhino they could and relocate them to a safe sanctuary.

Four months after finding Carla, the game scouts found a nine month old female rhino calf with her right hind leg nearly severed by a copper snare.

Once again Jane was called upon to work round the clock to save the orphaned rhino.

She was never expected to fully recover, but Lisa Marie survived to become an inseparable playmate to Carla.

The Style family had become very attached to the two orphans however, the economy being as it was, the cost to feed, nurse, and guard the baby rhinos 24 hours a day was not manageable.

  Arrangements were made to relocate Carla and Lisa Marie.  Barry left for his annual visit to the U.S. and the Safari Club International convention with a heavy heart.  Little did he know that he would be met upon his arrival with much needed veterinary supplies, a dart gun, and an injection of cash to assist in protecting the wildlife of the CRC. Nick Ohanesian  and Bill Bannister had established the Chiredzi River African Wildlife Trust.

Currently we have 7 trustees, with Rob Style on the ground in Zimbabwe as the director of the Chiredzi River Conservancy.  We've accomplished a lot in the few years we've been together, but it all comes with a price tag.

We support 24 dedicated game scouts. These guys patrol 100,000 acres on foot arresting poachers, collecting snares, and often at great risk to themselves including being shot at by poachers.  They receive subsistence wages, rations, uniforms, and housing.

They share two vehicles, a few radios, and even fewer guns.

Because of our scouts, the anti-poaching efforts have dramatically  increased the overall wildlife population of the Conservancy.

One of our largest undertakings was the creation of a 15,000 acre fenced buffalo paddock.  This was no easy task considering the limited tools and resources in Zimbabwe.  In addition, we have purchased three breeding Cape Buffalo bulls to add genetic diversity and quality to the increasing herd.   Cape Buffalo are not allowed free range on the CRC due to the possibility of spreading disease to cattle.

Through feed and water plans we have been able to sustain the wildlife population through drought years.

With costly legal fees and demolition expense, we have successfully relocated illegal settlers from the wildlife areas.  However, this continues to be problematic and a great expense for the Trust as we maintain our efforts to keep illegal settlers from filtering back.

We provide the local community with donations of desperately needed school and medical supplies which helps promote our cause, educates the community about the value of their natural resources, and maintains good public relations.  We still have much more to do.

So it all started with three men and a rhino.  Our little rhino Carla has no idea how she was able to pay it forward to the wildlife of the CRC.

To all of you who have donated to our cause, we thank you.  It can't be done without you. Please check out our photo gallery to view the recovery of the Conservancy, the diversity of the wildlife, and the difference you are making.