Phila to return to wild after surviving attacks

November 18 2011 at 09:04am

Mpiletso Motumi

Phila the rhinoceros is finally ready to go back to the wild.

After surviving being shot nine times in two separate poaching incidents in Limpopo, she has recovered from her ordeal with the help of veterinarians and staff at the Johannesburg Zoo.

And they say the progress Phila has made since her arrival in January has been remarkable.

“We received her after she was miraculously saved by wildlife vets from Bela Bela so as to nurse her through the initial stages of her recovery. She had the resilience to pull through the first three months when her survival was quite uncertain,” said Brett Gardener, a vet at the zoo.

According to Gardener, Phila’s sense of smell and hearing was affected by the shooting, but through observation these appear to have returned to near normal.

In addition the five-year-old rhino’s gunshot wounds have also healed very well.

But Phila’s new home will be a closely guarded secret.

Her owner, Alan Salkinder, will decide where her new home will be.

Owing to the concerns for her safety, the date of her release and her new location will not be made public.

“It is essential considering the plight of rhinos throughout Africa that she returns to breeding. The intention was never to breed with Phila in the zoo since she was housed in a holding camp intended for medical treatment and observation.

“Black rhinos are far more solitary in the wild than the gregarious white rhinos,” said the zoo’s Louise Gordon.

Zoo staff have been monitoring Phila’s reproductive cycle through faecal monitoring of progesterone and hope that this will assist in a pregnancy once she leaves the zoo.

“We will miss this incredible animal that has climbed into the hearts of not only the Johannesburg Zoo, but many South Africans and citizens of the world, but our wish is for her to lead a productive life in a safe environment,” said Gordon.