One of the greatest success stories achieved by the SanWild Wildlife Trust was when we managed to overturn a decision by our local Department of Finance Environmental Affairs and Tourism not to grant us a humanitarian permit to save a highly endangered black rhino female from a canned hunt. More than 12 months after it was first reported by Fiona McLeod in the Mail & Guardian of 4 June 2001 that a highly endangered black rhino female called Baixinhia was to be hunted by a Norwegian hunter for $60 000, she (Baixinhia) came out victorious in a supreme court battle lodged by the SanWild Wildlife Trust to save her from a hunter's bullet.

The following people and organization have been instrumental in helping the SanWild Wildlife Trust to assist Baixinhia: Care for the Wild & The Born Free Foundation (United Kingdom) who paid Baixinhia's veterinary expenses, the well known South African actress, Charlize Theron who paid for the construction of Baixinhia's holding boma at SanWild and the Wildlife Action Group who stood by our side in our battle to save the rhino.

Baixinhia was born in Naples Zoo and subsequently sold to the San Paolo Zoo from where she was imported to South Africa destined to be used in a commercial breeding project intended by John Brooker and David Laylin. For various reasons the project never got off the ground, but in the interim John Brooker used Baixinhia, along with many other wild animals being held on his farm, to not only amuse tourists and visitors to Glen Afric but also in movies and television adverts, close to Broederstroom just outside Pretoria. Despite them earning their keep a time came when many of the animals had served their purpose.
Twelve years after she was intended for an endangered species-breeding project, Baixinhia found herself put out to a hunter's bullet by the very people whom she served faithfully for years despite the fact that she belongs to a highly endangered black rhino subspecies. (Diceros bicornis michaeli) of which only about 500 animals remain in the world.
There was no way that she could know that a permit to put her head on a hunter's wall was being considered by the Department of Finance, Environmental Affairs & Tourism in the North West Province. Fortunately when her plight was reported international public outrage prevented the plans to hunt this very highly endangered black rhino. Despite the fact that she had made headline news and had people across the world fighting for her cause, Baixinhia was lonely, suffering from boredom and very ill.
 

In the meantime the SanWild Wildlife Trust had persuaded her owner to allow the translocation of the rhino to our wildlife sanctuary in the Limpopo Province on the understanding that funds will be raised to repay some of his expenses and both parties finally signed an agreement to this effect. During January 2002 the SanWild Wildlife Trust learned confidentially that John Brooker had resumed negotiations with hunters to have the rhino hunted and that he was trying his best to convince the rhino's legal owner to cancel the agreement with the SanWild Wildlife Trust and put Baixinhia out to a hunter's bullet. Although we were now desperate to move her, she was very ill and we were waiting for our review application to be heard in the Supreme Court in Pretoria.

In June 2002 David Laylin informed us that unless a permit could be obtained to move the rhino, he would reconsider his position as her legal owner and would seriously consider putting her up as a hunter's trophy once again.

At the same time Johannesburg and Pretoria was experiencing the lowest temperatures in South Africa in 62 years and after consulting with Dr. Pierre Bester we realized that the extremely cold weather could cause Baixinhia to become very ill once again. We knew that if this happened we would have lost the only chance we would ever get to move her. Baixinhia would not survive if her condition were allowed to deteriorate again. The decision was made to move her as soon as possible. The cold weather (that could jeopardize her life) and the possibility that Baixinhia could be hunted if she was not moved straightaway gave us enough reason to lodge an urgent application with the Supreme Court on Monday the 1 July 2002. The case was finalized on Friday 5 July 2002 when Judge Daniels gave his ruling.
Negotiations with the legal owner of the rhino, eventually secured a passage for Baixinhia to live out the rest of her life in a natural habitat sanctuary. However the South African Department of Finance, Environmental Affairs and Tourism ignored repeated attempts by the SanWild Wildlife Trust to obtain permits to translocate the rhino to our sanctuary in the Northern Transvaal. Unbeknown to us this was not yet the end of Baixinhia's struggle to reach her new home. When arrangements were made to move her from Glen Afric the SanWild Wildlife Trust approached the North West Department of Finance, Environmental Affairs and Tourism to issue the export permit to move Baixinhia. The official in charge, Deon Swart was openly aggressive and refused to issue the permit and presented us with feeble excuses. Once again we had to resort to legal council and only after various discussions between our legal council and the head of the Department in Mafikeng was the export permit finally issued on the 18th July 2002.

Everything was finally in place to move Baixinhia from the only place she knew as home for the past 12 years, but it was still not the end of our problems. When we contacted John Brooker to make arrangements for the translocation he insisted on his pound of flesh - despite the years that Baixinhia served him. The SanWild Wildlife Trust was presented with an account totalling R52 000.00, which he claimed, was for boarding, lodging and veterinary treatment for Baixinhia since February 2001. In February 2002 a contract was presented to John Brooker by the Trust offering to pay for boarding and lodging, but he refused to sign the contract. We now believe that one of the reasons for his refusal was that he was busy negotiating with new hunters to kill the rhino and did not want to be bound by the terms of our contract.
We were horrified and consulted with legal council who advised us that this new demand could possibly hold up Baixinhia's translocation until the court could decide on the matter. We knew that she would not survive much longer if she was left at Glen Afric and we agreed to pay the bills and despite all the problems that she experienced in her lifetime, Baixinhia finally arrived at SanWild on Monday the 22 July 2002. Within three days her diarrhoea cleared up and she showed no ill effects after the translocation.

When I read this email I knew that what we did for Baixinhia was the right thing. At least now she had finally come to a place she can call home. A place where peace and quiet prevail and where we can assure her that she will live out the rest of her natural life under the protection of the SanWild Wildlife Trust without having to fear another human. At SanWild it will not be necessary for her to earn her keep - she can now finally just be an old happy rhino and enjoy the company of the other wild animals that share her world.
Finally after almost nine months had passed we could say that Baixinhia had recovered fully from her terrible ordeal and bad health. She gained an incredible amount of weight and has been off all medication since September 2002. Although she enjoys the company of many other wild animals she still seeks human company and has amused many a visitor to SanWild.

A very special relationship has developed between her and one of the young anti-poaching rangers at SanWild. Baixinhia was finally happy until she died at SanWild on the 13th November 2003. A special animal emergency rescue fund was launched by our Trust to expose the unethical and cruel treatment of wild animals and to rescue other animals that are cruelly treated, injured, orphaned or just in need of urgent rescue.

For more information on the Baixinhia Animal Rescue Fund, kindly contact our offices at sanwild@pixie.co.za

After Baixinhia died we received an email from David Laylin thanking us for our efforts to give Baixinhia a final home where she was happy. I personally do believe that David is not the unkind and uncaring man, whom we all believed, but that he did indeed care about Baixinhia – after all he did allow us to move her on an agreement that we would try and raise funds to pay for her. He did not ask for any guarantees and I know that if he was such a “monster” that he would never have allowed her to leave the premises of Glen Afric. The only person trying to prevent us from removing Baixinhia, was John Brooker, fortunately he did not succeed.