Last week at The Rhino Orphanage, in Mokopane South Africa, a local farmer brought in an abandoned baby giraffe he had found. The baby giraffe was only two days old and abandoned by his mother. When the calf was first discovered, he was weak and dehydrated. Caretakers named the calf, Jazz.
At The Rhino Orphanage, based in the Limpopo Province, lives a dog, a watchdog named Hunter. Hunter resides in the sanctuary and protects the Rhinos from predators. When Jazz, the giraffe, came to the reserve the resident watchdog Hunter rapidly began to care for the new strange calf. Not long after, Hunter and Jazz were inseparable.
The workers at the non-profit organization noticed Jazz and Hunter were always together. The baby giraffe is being fed leaves and given IV therapy to help him become stronger and stay hydrated. Hunter is still there when Jazz is feeding, and they have been observed sleeping together too.
Mammals naturally need companionship, like humans, to reduce their stress and they need their community. Hunter’s fellowship to Jazz during his time of recovery has no doubt aided the calf. The caretakers expect that Jazz will be released to the wild soon and live out his days eating leaves from tall trees in the Savanna.
