Unlikely Friendships - Jennifer S. Holland [35]
{SOUTH AFRICA, 2005}
The White Rhino and the Billy Goat
WHITE RHINO
KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Chordata
CLASS: Mammalia
ORDER: Perissodactyla
FAMILY: Rhinocerotidae
GENUS: Ceratotherium
SPECIES: C. simum
BILLY GOAT
KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Chordata
CLASS: Mammalia
ORDER: Artiodactyla
FAMILY: Bovidae
GENUS: Capra
SPECIES: C. aegagrus
The Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve, located on the high plateau region of inland South Africa, is named for two of its most charismatic beasts. Owned by stockbroker Ed Hern, the place in its early years was just an old farm with a modest collection of two white rhinos. It now houses more than 600 game animals representing twenty-five species.
One of the animals was a six-month-old rhino calf that had been brought to the reserve after her mother was killed by poachers. The calf was spotted cowering by her mother’s carcass, and it was decided she should be hand-reared until she was old enough to fend for herself among other rhinos. But a half-year rhino gulps down gallon after gallon of milk each day, and acquiring a trough of the drink on a daily basis was difficult. Fortunately, a South African dairy supplier offered to sponsor enough milk-replacement formula to feed the beast. The charitable company was called Clover. And from then on, so was the rhino.
Clover craved constant attention, says Lorinda Hern, the daughter of the reserve’s owner. That’s not surprising for an animal typically inseparable from its mother for its first eighteen months of life. For a while, a human handler kept her company—virtually a full-time job. At this point, the youngster’s daily milk intake was at fourteen gallons; at mealtimes she’d impatiently await her massive drink with childlike squealing and foot stomping. But as the rhino ballooned to over 600 pounds, the position of rhino chaperone became increasingly dangerous. Although Clover was extremely gentle, her sheer bulk meant that she could easily crush a human foot—or worse—by simply being too rambunctious. Human efforts at discipline were useless at tempering the little rhino’s exuberance. And anyway, it was not ideal to let her become too attached to humans, as it would make her an easy target for poachers in the future.
But solo living wasn’t good for Clover, and she soon fell ill. A local vet diagnosed her with a stomach ulcer, a condition he believed was related to stress and loneliness. Clover needed a new friend, but no other young rhinos were on hand. So, in an experimental move, a tame adult billy goat was ushered into Clover’s pen.
As expected, Clover was very curious about the new resident, sniffing and nudging him at every opportunity. Unfortunately, her new neighbor was annoyed by the invasive behavior. He charged at her, head lowered aggressively in the same way that goats establish a hierarchy when they’re among other goats. Clover meekly retreated to a safer distance. But within minutes she’d take her chances and approach again. Even though Clover loomed like a giant over the goat, the smaller animal wasn’t intimidated and proved himself the dominant member of the pair. Clover was so thrilled at having a friend—even a moody and temperamental one—she seemed happy to consent to his terms.
Within a week or two, the rhino and the goat—aptly, if somewhat unimaginatively, named Goat—were inseparable. The gruff billy patiently indulged Clover when she wanted to play “chase,” marked by the rhino’s excited squeals and satisfied grunts. When Clover was napping, Goat would deftly clamber onto her back and use her as a lookout point to scout the area. Clover, meanwhile, generously shared her shelter, food, and toys, and was totally devoted to her new companion. She followed him relentlessly—his 1,200-pound